Mattia Binotto at helm of Audi Formula 1 project: will Carlos Sainz follow suit?. Are the doors reopening for Carlos Sainz to join Audi amid Mattia Binotto move?.

Carlos Sainz, the Audi hypothesis reopens with Binotto’s arrival
“On August 1, Mattia Binotto will join the Audi F1 project and take charge in Hinwil. Binotto will be the Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer (COO and CTO) in the leadership team of Sauber Motorsport AG, responsible for the operational management and sporting success of the racing team, and will report to the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG.”

With these comments, Audi has officially announced the addition of Mattia Binotto to the team, marking his return to Formula 1 with immediate effect, nearly two years after his turbulent departure from Ferrari in December 2022.

The Italian-Swiss technician, as stated in the press release, will assume a dual role starting from August 1 and will be responsible for steering the German team towards its historic debut in the top class, scheduled for the 2026 season.

Despite the stormy divorce with Ferrari, Mattia Binotto can boast over twenty years of experience at the highest levels, and it is from the prancing horse that the Lausanne manager would like to draw to complete the technical department and beyond.

With the offer made to Enrico Gualtieri, current technical director on the Power Unit side, Mattia Binotto’s arrival at Audi could once again shuffle the cards regarding Carlos Sainz’s future, who is still in search of a seat for the 2025 Formula 1 championship. The two have always expressed great mutual respect, but it remains to be seen whether this path will reopen in the coming months, or if the Spaniard will prefer other destinations.

According to rumors from recent months, the Spaniard declined the Germans’ proposal in hopes of receiving a call from a top team, and in recent weeks, he has reiterated his desire to take time to reflect before making a final decision.

“Williams is one of the few teams I have left on the table, also Red Bull and Mercedes,” the Spanish driver recently said about his future in an interview with GQ – “There are two or three teams I haven’t been with yet and where I could go in the future. I don’t know when, to be honest, because the future still seems quite uncertain. I don’t even know myself, to give you an idea. What I do know is that in these ten years, I have been part of five different teams, and I have great memories of every team I’ve been with. I know that if the opportunity to return to one of these teams arose in the future, then I could go back.” – the current Ferrari driver pointed out.

Source: f1ingenerale