Mattia Binotto - Photo: Audi F1 Team

Audi warns key 2026 factor could be worth nearly 'half a second' per lap

18:01, 08 Feb

byTobia Elia

Head of Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto has explained how the new sustainable fuels could have a significant impact on performance next season.

“If a team gets it completely wrong or fails to develop its fuel properly, it can end up four tenths down purely because of the fuel”

- Mattia Binotto

Speaking on the Terruzzi Racconta podcast, former Ferrari team principal explained how developing an effective fuel could be worth as much as a 15-horsepower gain — a margin that, on certain circuits, could translate into a potential advantage close to half a second per lap.

“Fuel has a direct impact on engine performance,” he said. “The difference between a good fuel and a poor one can be worth 10 to 15 kilowatts — around 15 horsepower. In lap-time terms, that can mean four tenths, even half a second.

"We’re not talking about marginal gains here or the last few hundredths. If a team gets it completely wrong or fails to develop its fuel properly, it can end up four tenths down purely because of the fuel.”

Asked whether he expects major differences as a result of that, Binotto believes the gap between teams will widen — at least at the start of the new regulatory cycle — before gradually moving towards technical convergence.

Photo: Audi

“As is always the case at the start of a new regulatory era, I expect gaps to emerge between teams — on the aerodynamic and chassis side, and of course once again on the power unit side. That includes hybrid technology, electric motors, batteries and their efficiency, as well as combustion and these new fuels.”

“When the 2014 era began, there was a huge gap between Mercedes and the rest, including Ferrari at the time — almost 100 horsepower. By 2017, Ferrari was fighting for the world championship with Sebastian Vettel, so it took roughly three years to close that gap.”

Binotto breaks down key Audi struggle from Barcelona testing

The German outfit, now edging closer to its long-awaited Formula 1 debut, was among the teams that caused multiple read flags during the late-January Barcelona test.

Despite the inevitable teething problems, Binotto struck an upbeat tone, expressing overall satisfaction with the team’s progress and underlining the importance of the three days of running for the German project. Addressing the reliability concerns, the Italian played them down, describing the issues as minor rather than anything dramatic.

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