{"id":384083,"date":"2026-01-01T05:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T05:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/384083\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T05:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T05:19:11","slug":"where-audi-thinks-it-could-hold-edge-over-red-bull-ford-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/384083\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Audi thinks it could hold edge over Red Bull-Ford alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mattia Binotto has claimed that Audi<\/a>\u2018s \u201cbackground and knowledge\u201d will help it to overcome the initial edge that Formula 1 <\/a>rivals Red Bull could hold with Ford.<\/p>\n

F1 will undergo extensive rule changes in 2026. The cars will be smaller and lighter, while power units will split output evenly between electric and combustion.<\/p>\n

These regulations tempted two major automotive names into the sport. Ford will return through a partnership with Red Bull, creating Red Bull Powertrains-Ford.<\/p>\n

Red Bull Powertrains has poached several top-line engineers. Binotto acknowledges this, but he believes Audi\u2019s deeper technical heritage will matter more over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019ve got more specific skills,\u201d Binotto told RacingNews365.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got the background of what\u2019s Audi, what\u2019s the knowledge of Audi, which in the long term will certainly make the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MattiaMattia Binotto is overseeing Sauber\u2019s transition into Audi<\/p>\n

Audi on the \u2018right path\u2019<\/p>\n

Binotto is overseeing Sauber\u2019s transition into a works Audi operation as the group CEO, alongside ex-Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, who runs the team.<\/p>\n

Together, they are laying the foundations for Audi\u2019s long-term ambitions. Speaking to Reuters, Binotto said the project is progressing as planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going in the right path, the right direction,\u201d he said, adding that Audi is \u201cbuilding some credibility\u201d.<\/p>\n

Audi\u2019s commitment was questioned early in the process. Those doubts have faded.<\/p>\n

The Qatar Investment Authority now holds a stake in the team and Revolut has signed as title sponsor. Binotto believes these steps have reassured staff inside the organisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the employees, that\u2019s pretty clear. We are expanding, we are investing in the long term,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose facts are bringing a lot of credibility towards the project for the employees. There is no doubt that Audi is fully committed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investments that we are doing currently with Audi, all of them are long-term projects because they are investments that we will see the return on them, in terms of performance, maybe in three or four years\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audi is not chasing instant success. Binotto has been clear about expectations for 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t intend to be a surprise next year,\u201d he said. He also stressed that he is \u201cnot expecting to have the best engine next year at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Audi has set its sights on being a title contender closer to 2030.<\/p>\n

Therefore, Red Bull Powertrains-Ford may be better placed in the short term.<\/p>\n

Former Red Bull team boss Christian Horner revealed that more than 200 staff had been recruited from Mercedes for the project.<\/p>\n

Binotto accepts that such hires bring immediate benefits, but he is optimistic that Audi\u2019s approach will pay dividends long term.<\/p>\n

READ MORE \u2013 Ford reveals where Red Bull has small deficit with 2026 F1 engine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mattia Binotto has claimed that Audi\u2018s \u201cbackground and knowledge\u201d will help it to overcome the initial edge that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,40856,63,206490,817,7604,806,805,803,804,15196,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-384083","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-audi","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-binotto","12":"tag-f1","13":"tag-ford","14":"tag-motor","15":"tag-motor-sports","16":"tag-motosport","17":"tag-motosports","18":"tag-redbull","19":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}