Audi F1 COO Mattia Binotto explains why ‘it wouldn’t have made sense’ to join Aston Martin

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Mattia Binotto returned to Formula 1 after 31 months when he took over at Audi as the chief operating officer of Sauber, even rejecting offers from Aston Martin and Alpine.

The 54-year-old was highly sought-after earlier this year as midfield teams and backmarkers scrambled to improve their performances. Yet Audi won the race to get Binotto in July as he replaced Andreas Seidl as the COO and chief technical officer of Sauber and Audi’s F1 entry.

Audi bought 100% ownership of Sauber this March ahead of turning the Hinwil, Switzerland natives into its works Formula 1 team in 2026. But Binotto faces a daunting ordeal to ensure the German automotive giant hits the ground running when Audi, finally, debuts on the grid.

Audi’s ‘blank sheet of paper’ tempted Mattia Binotto more than Aston Martin or Alpine

Sauber are the only Formula 1 team still yet to score any points after the first 18 of 24 Grand Prix plus three of six F1 Sprint events this season. The Swiss squad are rooted to last place in the constructors’ championship, ahead of the 2024 United States Grand Prix on October 20.

Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas are also the only F1 drivers to contest the full season yet to get a point. Logan Sargeant also failed to score a single point for Williams over 15 rounds, in which he started 14 Grand Prix and three Sprints, before Franco Colapinto took up his drive.

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Their lack of points, with Zhou’s best Grand Prix finish of P11 coming in the season-opening Bahrain GP and Bottas’ best finish of P13 coming in Monaco and Canada, leaves Sauber last by 13 points to Alpine – who trail Williams by three points and Haas by a further 15 points.

Binotto held talks with Aston Martin and Alpine before accepting Audi’s offer to join Sauber in July 2024. But, ultimately, what Audi offered matched what Binotto wanted for his return to F1. The Swiss-born Italian had always kept close tabs on events in F1 after leaving Ferrari.

“Precisely because I was starting from a blank sheet of paper,” Binotto explained to Corriere della Sera. “In the 18 months I spent away from racing, I missed the competition, being part of a team [and] sharing effort, ambitions and goals.

“Having the desire to start again, the only attractive challenge for me was that of Audi, the most ambitious. It wouldn’t have made sense to join a team that already works. Here, instead I can build, I relive part of my past and also, for this reason, it’s fascinating.”

Mattia Binotto sees similarities between Audi/Sauber and when he joined Ferrari

Binotto believes joining Audi’s Formula 1 project, despite Sauber being the worst team in F1 right now, gives the chance to ‘relive my past’ as he sees similarities between where Sauber are and where Ferrari were after he first joined the Scuderia straight after university in 1995.

“Two different realities, the rankings also say so,” he added. “The difference is immense, in everything, from size to tools. However, I find many similarities with the Ferrari of my beginnings in 1995. A company where everything had to be built or rebuilt.

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“At that time, in addition to reorganising the departments and the methodology, you had to train people to win. Inculcate the mentality of, ‘We are not here to participate’.”

Ferrari hired Binotto upon graduating from a university in Modena, where he had studied a Masters in motor vehicle engineering. From there, the Swiss-born Italian rose the ranks for the Scuderia’s engine and technical departments before even becoming the team principal.

Through his 26 years in Maranello, Binotto helped Ferrari to win six drivers’ championships with Michael Schumacher (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) and Kimi Raikkonen (2007). They had not won a drivers’ title since Jody Scheckter swept his only championship win in 1979.

Binotto was also at Ferrari for eight of their 16 constructors’ championships with titles from the 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 campaigns. Their title for the 1999 season even snapped the Scuderia’s 16-year drought after denying McLaren by four points.