Audi’s 2026 Formula One project is being thrown into disarray after news that the two men leading the project have left and Ferrari’s former team boss Mattia Binotto has been hired to lead the team 18 months before the car is due to hit the track for the first time.

Audi is in the process of purchasing the Sauber team at the start of the new F1 era, when new power unit and chassis regulations will come into effect; it will race as an Audi car with an Audi engine.

There were whispers behind the scenes that all was not well, and these appear to have been confirmed by the announcement of Binotto’s new role. “Our aim is to accelerate the entire Formula 1 project to F1 speed,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said in a press release, adding that this would be done through “clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces and efficient decision-making processes.”

This is consistent with the views of some company insiders, who suggest that the team is waiting for funding to hire the new staff it needs and does not yet have the capacity to start work on its first car.

Binotto faces a complex setup. He has been appointed chief operating and technical officer of Sauber Motorsport, part of the Sauber Group that is in the process of being fully taken over by Audi. In 2026, the Swiss-based team will be rebranded as a full-fledged factory Audi effort.

But having run Ferrari’s engine department, worked as chief technical officer and served as team principal before leaving the team at the end of 2022, he will be familiar with the structure needed.

With work on Audi’s 2026 engine more than two years in the making and the power unit having already covered simulated race distances, the Sauber F1 team is struggling, with few outward signs that its new owner has made the changes needed to be competitive.

The situation is now urgent, and it is thought that the rival teams will accelerate their work on the new generation of vehicles for the 2026 model year towards the end of this summer. While the final version of the new regulations is being shaped, the aerodynamic development ban continues until the end of the year.

Carlos Sainz’s hesitation to join the team is thought to be due to concerns about Audi’s competitiveness, with reports suggesting he has been offered a tempting contract and Seidl’s sudden departure unlikely to allay the rumours.

The former McLaren F1 team boss has joined the team as Sauber CEO in 2023 with the aim of overseeing the transition from Sauber to Audi and directing investments where necessary.

Audi announced in March this year that Sauber employee Seidl would continue to lead the team as Audi F1 team CEO after the takeover. “We have a clear roadmap for how we want to be competitive in Hinwil and in Neuburg,” Seidl said at the time. “We have ambitious goals. Their realization is ongoing.”

Alongside Seidl is Audi’s technical chief Oliver Hoffmann, who has greater responsibility for overseeing the entire project, including the Sauber team, engine development and Audi’s marketing.

How much did Audi pay for Sauber?

Neither Sauber nor Audi have produced official figures on the takeover deal, but paddock whispers suggest the initial sum for a 75% stake is around $450m (£353m), which would value Sauber at around $600m (£470m). Since then, Formula 1 has become even more profitable and other team values ​​appear to be rising, so Audi may have had to find significantly more to take over the business outright.

Still, even if the starting amount is close to accurate, it would be a cheap deal for Audi, given that McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown claims every F1 team is now worth “at least $1.3bn” (£1bn) and Alpine’s investors recently paid $220m (£173m) for a 24% stake in the Enstone team.

Who will race in the Audi F1 team?

Nico Hulkenberg is the first confirmed driver. He will join Sauber in 2025 on a contract that will last at least the first year of the Audi era, and his German nationality seems like a perfect fit given his rapid performances for Haas this season and the experience that will be needed for the significantly new team to be competitive in F1.

The identity of his teammate is not yet known. Carlos Sainz is thought to be the first choice, but the Ferrari driver’s head has initially been turned by the potential of a vacant Mercedes or Red Bull seat, and more recently by a rising Williams and a persistent Alpine. The prospect of a seat in the top two teams seems to fluctuate weekly, but choosing one of the latter two would be a gamble for them to develop their potential, much like Audi.

Many teams are currently waiting for Sainz’s decision, but none will wait forever.

Sauber are thought to want a driver who can combine both the 2025 and 2026 seasons to provide continuity during a period of intense turmoil for all teams (especially Sauber/Audi). This means they would not want to offer a one-year extension to either of their current squad (Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu). Bottas’ quicker pace and consistency compared to his teammate are more likely to earn him a longer-term contract, but there are also talented youngsters waiting their turn, including F2 champions Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire.

What will be the name of the F1 team that Audi will manage?

With its share in the F1 team being reduced to zero, the historic Sauber name, which first appeared on the F1 grid in 1993, is expected to be completely replaced by Audi in 2026.

It is possible the team could offer naming rights to a sponsor, but it is unlikely to be as dominant as Sauber’s current Stake support.

Will the squad remain the same?

Before leaving the team, Seidl had spoken of expanding the current Sauber squad from 600 to 900 personnel, so most of the changes are likely to come in the form of new hires rather than replacing existing staff.