RacingEven with two ADUO engine upgrades likely on the table, Audi team boss Mattia Binotto has warned that “miracles are not possible,” keeping the new outfit’s target fixed on 2030 rather than a quick leap. He addressed the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities scheme and Audi’s early‑season power shortfall while the team works through the opening races with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg, including a bruising Sunday at Suzuka.
Under the FIA’s rules, power unit manufacturers that measure at least 2 percent behind the benchmark, currently Mercedes, can unlock development freedom. Binotto said Audi appears set to receive two such upgrades, but he cautioned that eligibility checks and long build cycles will slow any turnaround. “The lead times on the engine are very long, and we believe that most of the gap to the top teams is from the power unit,” Binotto said, Audi team boss, in media comments including RacingNews365. He added that the company set its horizon accordingly, and he repeated that “miracles are not possible,” Audi team boss, in media comments including RacingNews365.
Binotto has framed the deficit as broader than peak power. He pointed to how the 2026 package delivers and deploys energy, and how the engine behaves in the car. “It is not only about power. It is energy efficiency, energy use, and it is also about the drivability of the engine itself. When it comes to drivability, that also involves gear changes, which are very harsh for us at the moment,” Binotto said, Audi team boss, speaking to the F1 official website. He estimated the upside from combining performance and drivability gains at “about 1 second per lap,” Binotto said, Audi team boss, speaking to the F1 official website.
The weakness shows up at the start and on the straights. Early‑season reporting describes it as structural on the power‑unit side, with a large turbo that builds boost slowly. That delays throttle response, which pushes the car to lean harder on MGU‑K energy to fill the gap. The pattern was clear at Suzuka, where Bortoleto and Hülkenberg both lost positions, and it has echoed through the opening rounds. The 2026 rules demand tight energy management across the lap, and Audi’s internal combustion engine appears to give up too much in the window before the turbo is fully in play.
Even so, the team has logged bright spots. Audi exceeded early expectations when Bortoleto scored the first points in Australia. The next races in China and Japan brought no points. Reporting around the team says fixing the launch system has become a top priority for the coming weeks.
None of that changes the timeline. Binotto has been direct that concept‑level engine work cannot be rushed. He said Audi will use ADUO where it applies, but the plan points to a longer climb. “We set 2030 as the objective because we know it will take a long time,” Binotto said, Audi team boss, in media comments including RacingNews365.