Mattia Binotto’s ‘climbing Everest’ admission about Audi F1 project
Mattia Binotto admits turning Audi into F1 winners will be an "enormous" challenge.
New Audi chief Mattia Binotto has admitted the task of turning the current Sauber team into F1 winners will be like “climbing Everest”.
Sauber, the team which has been bought by Audi and will transform into the German manufacturer’s works outfit in 2026, have endured a torrid season.
The Swiss team have the slowest car on the grid and are anchored to the bottom of the constructors’ championship without a single point to their name in 2024.
Former Ferrari team principal Binotto has been tasked with spearheading Audi’s F1 project and has acknowledged the challenge Sauber/Audi face if they are to be competitive in the coming years.
"It’s not only climbing a big mountain, it’s climbing Everest. It will take several years," Binotto told BBC Sport.
"Our objective is by the end of the decade to be able to fight for the championships.
“When you are here and you start looking into the details, the more you look, the more you realise where you are and what are the main differences to what I knew from before from Ferrari.
"Certainly the gap and the differences are many and the gap is big.
"It’s big because of dimensions, because of number of people, because of mindset, because of tools, facilities. Whatever you look around, it is really comparing a small team to a top team.”
Binotto added: "We are in F1 until we win and after. It is a long-term commitment. We have joined F1 to be here and stay here.
"We intend to become a winning team and to set the benchmark and to stay then. It is not a joining and leaving. F1 is the pinnacle of the motorsport, it is great Audi is part of it finally and they are simply committed to stay."
Sauber are yet to decide who will complete their driver line-up for the 2025 season alongside new signing Nico Hulkenberg.
Current incumbent Valtteri Bottas is a leading contender, along with Williams stand-in Franco Colapinto and Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto.
Binotto has confirmed that Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher, who lost his full-time F1 seat with Haas at the end of 2022, is also in the frame.
