Binotto: ‘Audi was the only team I hoped to join’

After 18 months away from the sport that three decades had been spent, Mattia Binotto made a return to Formula 1 at Monza last weekend.

The Hinwil team have had a difficult 2024 campaign. The team have failed to score a championship point this season with the C44 not performing well.

Current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu’s F1 futures are in serious doubts. The Hinwil team have already signed current Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg for next season. Whilst Zhou is all but confirmed out, Bottas will be fighting for his seat for 2025, stating that he would love to drive for Audi in 2026.

Strange feeling

Binotto made his return to working life in F1 last weekend in Monza. The 54-year-old was given a warm reception back to the paddock by plenty of his old friends, colleagues and rivals. The Italian states that he is happy with the new challenge ahead of him.

“It’s very strange, I have to say, wearing a different shirt,” says Binotto, speaking for the first time since he became Audi’s Chieft Operating and Chief Technical Officer in charge of their F1 project. “It’s been a very long time off.

“To be back is great for me. I’m very happy with the new challenge. All my past life has been with Ferrari – 28 years is a long time. I started there as a graduate – it has become my family but now that is the past. [Now I’m] coming back in the paddock wearing a new shirt.

“I’m looking ahead to the new challenge with a lot of enthusiasm and with a lot of boost and energy. It’s great to be back to see faces, friends. It’s a lovely moment. You’re not here as a spectator, you’re here to lead a team, to lead a project. It’s fascinating. For me, it’s a great moment.”

The only team Binotto wanted to join

The former Ferrari Team Principal revealed that his 18 months away from F1 was “very long and very difficult”. Binotto believes that “work is your life” and “the first few days, weeks, months were especially difficult” as he was “used to working so hard”.

That made the Italian desperate to be back in F1, which led to him landing a job at Audi. The German manufacturers decided that former project lead Andreas Seidl, who was signed from McLaren, and Audi executive Oliver Hoffman weren’t the righ people to lead the project anymore.

Binotto said that after Ferrari, Audi was the only project that he would accept to take:

“Honestly, Audi was the only team I hoped to join, because of the challenge, because of the ambition, because it’s for Audi the very first time in F1.”

“I’m lucky they call me. It had been very sudden. In a couple of days, we decided. It was simple. The opportunity was to be empowered for the entire project, full power – and that was what I was looking for. I’m so grateful and thankful for the offer – but as well very conscious how much there is to do.”

Feature Image Credit: Clive Rose via Getty Images