Binotto and Wheatley set Audi’s F1 deadline: champions by 2030

18:30, 15 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

Audi will be the next full fledged works team to join F1 in a bid to prove their mettle in the pinnacle of motorsports.

We are aiming to win a championship by 2030. That's our ambition, our goal, our objective."

- Mattia Binotto.

Mattia Binotto is Sauber's COO and CTO, and head of Audi's F1 project. Photo: RacePictures.

Come the 2026 season Sauber will complete its transformation into Audi and the team will make its long-awaited F1 debut.

At a recent event, the livery concept of the 2026 car was unveiled, and the atmosphere within the team was summed up best by team principal Jonathan Wheatley, upon arrival to the red carpet of Audi’s F1 bid launch.

"This feels like a very significant moment on our journey," said the British team boss to Formula1.com. "To see all the cars – it's like Audi have opened up the toy box and got all of the cars out here tonight. I had a spin in a Quattro Sport, which is one of my favourite cars, round to the event just now. It all feels real, it feels like it's happening."

Audi want to win F1 titles by 2030

The COO and CTO of the team, Mattia Binotto, remained fixed in his target to make Audi a championship winning team on its fifth season in the sport.

"We have got our plans, we know our competitors are strong, but we are here to try to do well. We are aiming to win a championship by 2030. That's our ambition, our goal, our objective," Binotto stated.

The clarity of Audi’s approach has inspired calm to the team’s top brass, despite the fact that overnight success has been ruled out, as the path ahead remains a steep hill to climb.

Jonathan Wheatley, team principla at Sauber. Photo: Race Pictures

Wheatley continued: "[The Audi board have given us a] very realistic set of targets. They understand the journey we are on, they have been incredibly understanding of how long that may take, the stages along the way, the fact everything needs to be in place, get bigger then consolidate your position for a while, get bigger again and then consolidate.

"So, our target really is to keep building on this momentum, which we started this year. We need to carry that through – and that will make us championship challengers at the end of the decade," Wheatley concluded.

What momentum is Wheatley signalling?

In 2024 Sauber could only add 4 points to their count since the season’s start in Bahrain and were dead last when the chequered flag flew in Abu Dhabi.

In 2025, though, the team has completely turned around its form, even clinching their first podium since 2012, a feat performed by Nico Hulkenberg at the British Grand Prix, to nab his first-ever rostrum result in the sport.

This season the team has scored 62 points and is locked in a battle for P6 in the Constructors’ championship, a result of the transformation Sauber has undergone under Binotto’s and Wheatley’s leadership.

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Audi reveals F1 2026 car concept

Audi unveiled its first 2026 Formula 1 concept car, showcasing a classic Audi livery as it prepares to join the grid next year and rebrand Sauber as Audi.

CEO of AUDI AG, Gernot Döllner, Head of the F1 Project, COO and CTO, Mattia Binotto, and team principal Jonathan Wheatley emphasized a long-term plan, aiming to fight for World Championships by 2030, acknowledging the need for time, learning, and continuous improvement. Read the full story here.

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