Mattia Binotto Reveals Sauber F1 Team's 'Mindset Of Survival' Ahead Of Audi Takeover

Saajan Jogia | Dec 20, 2024

Nov 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu of China (24) drives during the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Sauber F1 team CEO and CTO Mattia Binotto has opened up on the state of affairs in the team after taking over the role this season following the Formula 1 summer break. The former Ferrari team principal explained that the team was "frozen" in a "mindset of survival" without concrete upgrades to move forward upon his arrival, and expected that the situation would improve drastically after Audi's takeover in 2026.

Binotto revealed the state of limbo the team was in, not only in terms of on-track performance but even in terms of the staff and infrastructure the team was equipped with. This has significantly affected Sauber's competitiveness on track. It wasn't until the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend when effective upgrades were introduced on the C44 F1 car this year, which allowed outgoing driver Zhou Guanyu to score four points.

The situation was allegedly unfair for the drivers, who received no chance to prove their racing prowess until the much-needed upgrades arrived in November. Binotto has a huge task ahead of him to get the team into top gear, especially when multiple challenges need addressing. Speaking on how the team looked forward to the future rather than focusing on the present under the leadership of Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, who departed before his onboarding, the 55-year-old team boss told Motorsport.com:

"When I joined in August, really, it was like a team that was almost frozen.

"So while making sure that we had the proper plans in our journey to become a top team in the future, we really needed to boost the team for improvement and possibly already during the current season.

"How important the current season was was not only about not finishing with zero points, because finishing 10th with zero or 10th with four points does not change much.

"But it was more for us to make sure that we have defined the proper direction of development for next season as well – and being energized through the wintertime.

"Today, I can see a team that is more convinced on what's required, what's necessary for next season, and hopefully we can further develop the current car."

He added:

"I think that Sauber has been a team in the mindset of survival in the last 10 years, with no more investments and no real expenditure.

"So whatever you've got, you kept, but you never further developed.

"If I look at the wind tunnel itself. It's a great wind tunnel, still today, I think it's up to date in terms of facility and structure.

"But what has not been developed is the internal methodology of testing. And a good tunnel is not only having the proper flow into a tunnel; it's the way you measure your data and the aero performance characteristics.

"It's about measurements, it's about sensors, it's about acquisition of data. It's about the accuracy of the data. It's about correlation to the race track, and if anything, I think where we have been stuck is really in that methodology."

Sauber's driver lineup will be refreshed next season with the arrival of Nico Hulkenberg from Haas and Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto. Revealing the plan of action to get the team back on track, Binotto said:

"Our strategy will be to invest mainly on very young graduate talents. The reason why is because I am pretty convinced that it is the best investment we can do for our future.

"The Audi journey is a long-term journey, and I'm pretty sure that in a couple of years, the young graduates today will give us our best return on investments."

He added:

"Having a proper simulation tool is the most important today. And it is again, where we are very behind."

Revealing a realistic growth trajectory, Binotto claimed that the best way forward would be to adopt a step-by-step approach. He explained:

"So can we be successful next season? Not at all. Can we be in a couple of years? Not at all, because we will not have the people in place, we will not have the facilities in place and all the tools required.

"So what can be [the target] in the meantime? It's improving, improving each single season, as simple as that.

"You cannot simply wait until 2030 to be the best or being a benchmark. You need to go step by step, to climb the mountain to being in the top ranking.

"For us, it will be important, I think, next year, to do better than what has been 2024, and the following year as well."