Last Updated on October 13 2024, 11:42 am

Since Audi announced they were joining Formula One, the road ahead has appeared long and winding. Recent PR announcements claim their power unit development is on schedule at their ‘state of the art’ facilities in Neuberg.

Sauber faced a crisis at the turn of this year when they appeared to run out of cash. This prompted the earlier than planned acquisition of the remaining shares by the German brand and also a rumoured contract extension for Zhou Guangyu whose Chines backers bring tens of millions to the team.

Yet the Swiss based outfit have been shambolic this season. Neither driver has scored a point and their best results were a run of three P13 finishes between Monaco and Spain. Technical director James Key started the year by managing expectations as discussed the long road ahead with Autosport.

 

 

 

Sauber/Audi integration complete 2027

Key talked of the extended process of recruiting staff who have lengthy gardening time to serve and of aligning Sauber’s processes and culture with Audi and he concluded: “I think ultimately, we’re probably not going to be the final product that we’re aiming for until about ’27 time really, because there is a lot to do.”

Of course since then Andrea Seidl has been sacked and ex-Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto appointed in overall charge and he in turn recruited Red Bull’s sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley to the role of Audi team principal.

While its understandable Audi do not want their brand associated with the current on track performances of Stake Sauber, at some point the German’s are going to haver to take control of operations in Hinwii. Audi/Sauber face the similar difficulties that Ferrari have been open about in recruiting personnel to work away from England’s motorsports corridor.

Speaking to Sky F1 at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur explained why recruiting for Ferrari had its challenges: “It’s not the same situation – you can move from Red Bull to Mercedes, keep the same hours, keep children in the same school and from the Friday to the Monday you can change and everything is perfect. If you want to come to Italy, it’s a different approach. You have to change the family environment and so on.”

Newey was leaving anyway, says Horner

 

 

 

Audi F1 decided on experience

Fred went on to joke that once someone has been persuaded to move to Italy, its much harder to leave citing the food and the quality of life as better in the southern Mediterranean.

F1 drivers of course are in some ways less of a problem, with many of the current grid living in Monaco as tax exiles from the country where their team is based. They fly in and out for briefings and simulation work but in general a driver can work for any of the teams and it will make little difference to the scheduling of his life.

Sauber/Audi along with RB remain the only F1 teams yet to complete their driver lineup for 2025 and by making an early move for Nico Hulkenberg, it seemed the current management philosophy was to recruit experience over youth. 

This was confirmed when Audi made it known their number one target to join the German was Carlos Sainz who has been released by Ferrari to make way for seven times champion Lewis Hamilton. Sainz peered behind the Sauber curtain and was persuaded that minnow team Williams was a better bet in the near term, leaving Sauber/Audi with a seat left to fill for next year.

Albon calls on FIA to change tack

 

 

 

Binotto explains the criteria

Mattia Binotto now claims to Autosport that he’s not concerned over the matter with the other eight teams having finalised their 2025 seats. “We have the luxury of not being in a hurry, as all the other teams have decided on their line-up,” he said.

Clearly Sauber/Audi and RB are not in competition for drivers given Dr. Marko has stated both Red Bull owned teams drivers will come from their academy programme, even that “I can very well imagine that a junior driver will drive alongside Max,” surely not good news for Yuki Tsunoda now in his fourth year in F1.

Binotto teases his audience by somewhat stating the obvious when asked about the criteria for his second driver. “There are two essential aspects: on the one hand, experience to set the course for growth. On the other, a young, talented player to accompany us on the path to the top.”

With Sainz out of the frame, the paddock opinion is that Valtteri Bottas fits the original Audi brief of an driver with plenty of experience. The Finn has ten Grand Prix victories to his name and is tears of wins amongst active F1 drivers is only behind the three world champions currently on the grid.

Toyota back door F1 entry

 

 

 

Young drivers are now F1 vogue

Yet the arrival of Franco Colapinto at Williams appears to have challenged the recent norm of selecting F1 drivers with experience. He together with Gabriel Bortoleto are also on Binotto’s radar and now a new contender in the form of Mick Schumacher has been confirmed by the Audi CEO.

“Definitely, we are evaluating him,” Binotto tells Corriere della Sera. 

“I’ve met him and spoken to him, I’ve known him for a long time having been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. I know the merits and advantages of him, he’s one of the names we have in mind’.”

Steiner SLAMS McLaren decision

 

 

 

Binotto says Schumacher is in… the frame

This would surely to be last lifeline for the son of Formula One’s greatest ever drivers but the Audi option has been promoted by noe other than Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko who believes Sauber/Audi should recruit the young German driver.

“I think the Formula One story is really over for Schumacher if he doesn’t get that Audi seat. If the situation is really that Valtteri Bottas gets the chance, then the whole thing is even more incomprehensible to me.”

Marko argues Sauber/Audi are not going to be winning races in the near future and therefore there’s no pressure on the drivers next year and probably the one after, so there’s no real risk in giving Schumacher another opportunity.

With Binotto admitting Schumacher is in… the frame, this appears to be the final hope for Mick to make a career in F1 or move forward with his endurance racing.

New Red Bull car details revealed

 

 

 

Binotto calls “The End” for Red Bull

Formula One over the years has seen cycles where a team dominates the sport although in modern times it has become even more prevalent. Red Bull were invincible during the final four years of the V8 engines winning constructors’ and drivers championships for four consecutive seasons (2010-13).

Mercedes then took over the mantle, winning both titles for a record seven consecutive years (2014-2020) and the constructors’ the year Max Won his first title (2021). Red Bull then cleaned up in 2022 and 2023 but this year find themselves 41 points behind McLaren with six race weekends to go.

Should the papaya liveried team go on to claim the constructors’ title this year, it will break a cycle of dominance which has seen either Mercedes or Red Bull win the team championship for the previous fourteen years… READ MORE