Mattia Binotto was in talks with two F1 teams before being signed by Audi

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Sauber are currently sitting bottom of the Constructors’ Championship without a single point to their name.

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are both racing for their Formula 1 future but have been handed the worst car on the grid to try and convince other manufacturers they’re worthy of a contract for 2025.

The reason why neither appears set to be retained by Sauber is the upcoming arrival of Audi on the grid.

Audi have technically already taken 100% control of the Sauber F1 team, but won’t officially be an F1 manufacturer until 2026.

However, big decisions are already being taken behind the scenes to try and be ready for their long-awaited debut.

Nico Hulkenberg has already been recruited from Haas to be one of their drivers for 2025.

The German is in spectacular form and other teams further up the grid might be wishing they had made a move for the experienced racer.

However, Audi are struggling to find a second driver due to their current performance and heads have rolled at the top of the team as a result of the team’s concerns about their readiness for 2026.

Head of F1 Andreas Seidl and executive Oliver Hoffmann have both been removed from their roles.

Former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has been fired in their place and as reported by Lawrence Barretto on the Formula 1 website, they beat a couple of their rivals to his signature.

Binotto has a huge task on his hands and as someone who has only ever worked for Ferrari, he needs to quickly learn how his new team functions and put his own systems into place to be as ready as possible for 2026.

That’s no easy task, but Binotto is already eyeing one driver to partner Hulkenberg next season who would immediately raise spirits at their factor in Hinwil.

Audi beat two F1 rivals to the signing of team principal Mattia Binotto

Writing about the Binotto’s negotiations, Barretto said: “Discussions between Audi and Binotto have been going on for some time now with the Italian – who spent 27 years with Ferrari – keen to find a path back to Formula 1 as he had unfinished business.

“After taking some time out he embarked on a role with Italian automotive company TEXA – however, he kept his eye on F1 and sources say he had talks with Aston Martin, and Alpine, as well as Audi.

“Ultimately, the German manufacturer’s foray into F1 proved to be exactly the project he wanted – something he could build up from scratch using his near three decades of experience at Ferrari, which included having great success heading the engine department.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from team principal to Audi future

Mattia Binotto could be joined by a rival F1 team principal at Audi

Audi have a lot of work to do before making their Formula 1 debut and there are a few key areas they need to address.

There are concerns in the paddock about Audi’s power unit, something they’re developing themselves going into what appears to be a Formula 1 ruleset that will be dominated by the team with the best engine.

Binotto needs to get a second driver signed up quickly for next season and Audi must address the uncertain future of James Key.

The German manufacturer are also looking to bring in more senior personnel to aide Binotto.

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack was surprised to learn that he’s been linked with Audi.

However, given the current struggles Aston Martin are enduring with updates failing to add any performance to the car, it might be the right time for Krack to seek out a new test.