Audi targets 2028 engine leap despite top-four chassis

Mattia Binotto says Audi’s 2026 Formula 1 car already has the foundations of a top-four chassis, but the team will not have the power-unit package to fight at the front until 2028.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Audi F1 boss Binotto said the team’s internal analysis points to a car that is stronger than its current results suggest. He said Audi’s data, GPS estimates and driver feedback show the car is “pretty fast in the corners” and “maybe the fourth team in terms of chassis,” behind Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. Binotto called that “an outstanding result” for the former Sauber operation and said he was “very satisfied with the chassis.”

He said that confidence is backed by engineering correlation as well as feel from the cockpit. “We have got a good correlation with the wind tunnel and the simulator,” Binotto said. “In terms of platform from the engineering point of view, that was the most important thing.” He added that Audi has also taken “a step forward” in its processes and methodologies.

The gap, in his view, sits elsewhere. Despite Audi being ninth in the constructors’ standings, Binotto argued the limiting factor is “probably more the performance of the power unit, the controls of the power unit and the drivability,” with a significant step needed before the package can turn chassis potential into podiums, wins and regular front-running results.

That shortfall is also why he does not see 2027 as a realistic breakthrough point. “When it comes to the power unit, the time is always longer. The lead time for developing an engine is longer than aerodynamics,” Binotto said. “We believe that that cannot be possible by 2027, but to reach the right level by 2028.” He said engine progress will require hardware changes, which makes the timeline longer than a conventional aerodynamic gain.

Audi’s race results so far underline the gap between Binotto’s assessment of the car and what the team has delivered on Sundays. The team scored two points in its first race, but its best finish has been Nico Hulkenberg’s 11th place in China and Japan.

Binotto linked that slower competitive climb to Audi’s broader roadmap rather than a failed short-term target. He said the team’s agreed objective is to fight for the world championship by 2030, with 2026 serving as the first season of the Audi works project and a step toward becoming “competitive” first, then a challenger, then a genuine contender for wins.

For Binotto, that makes this season less about points totals, Q3 appearances or a final championship position than about changing the standard inside the team. He said becoming competitive means “every single person in the team understands what does it mean to compete and being Audi,” without being “self-satisfied by participating.” His aim, he said, is that by the end of the season fans and media can see “Audi has joined and they are becoming serious.”