Audi has announced it is centralizing responsibilities in its Formula 1 project, ahead of its F1 debut in 2026.
As head of the Audi F1 Project, Mattia Binotto will be responsible for development activities at the Hinwil and Neuburg an der Donau facilities, as well as at the future technical center in England, and Christian Foyer has been appointed chief operating officer of Audi Formula Racing, which is responsible for the F1 hybrid powertrain.
These appointments are designed to align Audi’s Formula 1 project “even more consistently with the synergies and working methods of a factory team”, the auto maker said, adding that it is “bringing its operational units within the Formula 1 project under unified management and is pushing ahead with even greater integration”.
The close coordination of development activities aims to achieve seamless coordination between the race car and powertrain. Under Binotto, existing structures will be optimized and the speed of development increased, Audi says.
Jonathan Wheatley was appointed team principal and management board spokesperson at Sauber Motorsport in April and is working with Binotto on “shaping the transformation of the racing team”.
In the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO), Foyer will take over operational responsibility for the areas previously managed by CEO Adam Baker, who is leaving the project by mutual agreement.
“We would like to thank Adam Baker for his commitment over the past years. He played a decisive role in shaping the overall strategic concept for the entry of Audi into Formula 1 and got the development of the power unit in Neuburg off the ground,” said Gernot Döllner, chairman of the board of management at Audi.
“With Christian Foyer, we are now bringing a proven expert in process structures in F1 powertrain development into the project. His experience will help ensure the synergistic cooperation and necessary speed on the journey we have embarked upon regarding the debut.”
To streamline reporting lines, the previous CEO role will be eliminated as part of the reorganization. Stefan Dreyer will continue to head power unit development in Neuburg as CTO and will take on the new role of spokesperson for the AFR management board.
In related news, Capgemini has renewed its partnership with Peugeot Sport to continue developing the 9X8 Hypercar for the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). Click here to read the full story.
