Former Toyota driver to be Audi F1's team principal - Reports

F1's latest entrant, Audi, are already making moves in their preparations to join the sport in 2026.

The latest move is the team reportedly identifying a team principal. Surprisingly, Audi are looking at Christiano Da Matta, a former Toyota F1 driver, as the primary candidate to lead them into F1.

As per La Gazzetta:

"For now, a trusted team principal has not been designated, but among the suspects is Cristiano Da Matta, 48, a former Brazilian driver (he raced 28 F1 GPs with Toyota, obtaining 13 points) who has already been head of the Formula E."

The report also added that Audi have started putting the pieces in place for their F1 operations and as many as 120 people have already joined. The report says:

"Audi, the other brand of the Volkswagen group that has decided to enter Formula 1 in 2026, when there will be a new regulation for the power units (the MGU-H will disappear) , has clear ideas and is proceeding with a series of investments."

It continued:

"The Neuburg headquarters, close to Ingolstadt, will see new buildings added in the coming months, which will enrich an already state-of-the-art facility, where the engines and batteries for Formula E have been tested over the last few years. benches to test the individual parts of the future engine are ready and now the German manufacturer, now out of the closet, can operate freely on the technicians market to grow a department that currently has 120 employees."

Audi have made it clear that the only way they are going to be part of F1 will be as a partner and not just as a power unit supplier. Behind the doors, there are still discussions going on with Alfa Romeo Sauber. The aforementioned report says:

"Then remains the most important step, the collaboration with a team. Audi has already made it clear for some time that it is not interested in a role of simple power unit supplier, but it wants to influence the team's choices. And it has set his sights on Sauber, the negotiations are underway and when the agreement is reached, the management framework will probably change."

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Christian Horner details challenges for Audi's entry into F1

Red Bull boss Christian Horner detailed the kind of challenges Audi could face in their quest to be successful in F1.

Talking about the challenge of succeeding in the sport, the Red Bull boss has said that Audi face an enormous challenge, as it would effectively start from scratch.

“I mean, it’s massive when you look at the current incumbents that we’re competing against, the longevity, the continuity that they’ve had," said Horner.

"Of course, a company like Audi’s reputation talks for itself. But the scale and the size of the challenge, as we’ve seen ourselves at Red Bull, is enormous, especially when you’re starting from scratch. It’s exciting, because it is a challenge and, you know, you have to believe anything is possible," he added.

Audi are going to face a unique challenge, as it will partner Sauber, a midfield contender. So the German team will need huge investment and time to get up to the level of frontrunners like Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes.