Former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto will lead Audi’s Formula 1 project from August 1. In a major management reshuffle announced on Tuesday, team bosses Oliver Hoffmann and Andreas Seidl will step down.

The German manufacturer has announced that Binotto has been appointed Chief Operating and Technical Officer at Switzerland-based Sauber Motorsport, which will join the factory Audi team in 2026 as the sport enters a new motoring era.

Audi added that Binotto will have “responsibility and accountability for the operational management and sporting success of the racing team.”

Hoffmann had previously assumed overall responsibility for the project as chairman of the Sauber companies’ boards of directors, while former McLaren executive Seidl was CEO of Sauber Motorsport and effectively ran the team.

“I am delighted that we have been able to bring Mattia Binotto into our ambitious Formula 1 project,” Audi CEO Gernot Doellner said in a statement.

“With his more than 25 years of experience in Formula 1, he will undoubtedly make a decisive contribution to Audi.”

Swiss-born Binotto joined Ferrari in 1995 and was appointed head coach of the Italian team in 2019.

He resigned in November 2022 after another disappointing season for the sport’s oldest and most successful team and was replaced at Maranello by Fred Vasseur, formerly of Sauber.

Seidl was appointed as Vasseur’s replacement in December 2022, but the Swiss outfit has been subject to speculation about Audi’s intentions and the possibility of ending the project.

Audi, which produces its own F1 power unit in Neuburg, Bavaria, and announced last March that it would take a 100% stake in Sauber, announced on Tuesday that preparations were “in full swing”.

The automaker said the decision to include Binotto was part of a restructuring to guarantee the project’s autonomy and independence.

“Our aim is to accelerate the entire Formula 1 project to F1 speed through clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces and efficient decision-making processes,” said Doellner.

“For this, the team needs to be able to act independently and quickly.”

Sauber is the only team to fail to score points in 13 races this season, while the futures of China’s Guanyu Zhou and Finland’s Valtteri Bottas are uncertain beyond 2024.

The Swiss team had previously announced the signing of German driver Nico Hulkenberg from Haas, while it is now after Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who will be replaced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton next year.

Sainz’s chances of joining Audi have appeared to have diminished recently, given the uncertainty over the 2026 engine and Sauber’s poor form, while Renault-owned Alpine is also increasingly interested.

But Alpine has failed to perform as expected this season and recently hired former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore as an advisor. REUTERS