Audi director’s future is now ‘uncertain’ after Andreas Seidl was replaced by Mattia Binotto

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The latest movements in the Audi F1 team have been announced, with former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto set to take over the management of the project.

Binotto will take on the roles of chief operating officer and chief technical officer, as part of a realignment of the control structure for the future of the Audi team.

The appointment of Binotto means that Oliver Hoffman, previously chairman of the board of directors, and Andreas Seidl, formerly the CEO of Sauber Motorsport, will leave the project.

Seidl had left his role at McLaren at the start of last season to join Sauber ahead of its transition to Audi after Binotto was replaced by Frederic Vasseur at Ferrari.

With two key departures in senior management, it appears there could be another member of the senior technical team whose future is up in the air according to a report by AMuS.

James Key future in doubt at Audi

According to the report, current Sauber technical director James Key’s position is ‘uncertain’ after failing to provide an decisive impetus during his 11-month term in office.

Sauber underwent a major overhaul of its car over the winter break before Key joined them from McLaren, but his influence was still on several areas of the team.

He was brought in by Seidl, but so far the team has proven to be one of the most uncompetitive on the grid with them sitting last in the Constructors’ Championship having yet to score any points midway through the season.

The report goes on to say that Binotto is busy coordinating the Audi F1 project in Neuburg and Hinwil, with another appointment set to be announced in the ‘near future’. According to reports, this could be Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack.

Audi project marred by political infighting

There have been rumours that the Audi project has been suffering from political infighting over the last few months, which is partially one of the reasons why Carlos Sainz has yet to decide on his future with the team despite being handed a lucrative contract offer.

The team recently announced its first technical partnership with oil and energy giant BP for 2026, which will supply them with 100% sustainable fuel as per the regulations.

Audi was warned that the departure of Seidl could mean that their F1 project was ‘doomed’ earlier this year, largely owing to his experience in motorsport being invaluable over corporate heads.

So far the team only has Nico Hulkenberg signed as a driver from the 2025 season onwards, but it has yet to secure the services of anyone else despite both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu’s contracts being out at the end of the season.