Mattia Binotto has “never seen such a long list” of jobs ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season as he prepares Audi for its maiden campaign in the championship.
The German marque will finally make its much anticipated F1 debut this year after completing a full takeover of the historic Sauber squad ahead of the introduction of new regulations in the series.
It is arguably the biggest rules change in the championship’s history with alterations to both the chassis, 32kg lighter with much less downforce, and power unit, more reliant on electrical energy.
So as a result, F1 added more pre-season test dates starting with a Barcelona shakedown (26-30 January), before two three-day tests in Bahrain (11-13 and 18-20 February) ahead of the Melbourne opener on 6-8 March.
That might seem like a lot of testing, but given the wholesale shake-up it really isn’t, especially when one considers how much preparation is needed for the new season for which the pecking order is currently unknown.
“It’s a lot of work,” Audi’s F1 chief Binotto told F1 TV at the end of the Barcelona shakedown. “It’s a lot of work for the entire team, it’s a lot of work for the drivers, for the engineers back at home – fixing all the problems, design, operationals, whatever we have seen.
Mattia Binotto, Audi
Photo by: Audi
“So, it’s really for us, no stones unturned: all the details need to be somehow managed and need to be fixed. So we’ve got a very long list, very, very long list, I’ve never seen such a long list.
“But it’s, again, I think it’s great because the team is really committed, willing to improve and somehow to come to Bahrain in a better shape.”
Although teams were in Barcelona for the whole week, they were only allowed to test on three of those days with Audi opting for the Monday, Wednesday and Friday – covering a total 243 laps in that time.
It didn’t start smoothly, however, as Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg were restricted in their running across the opening two days due to technical issues – understood to be power unit related – on the R26.
But then Friday saw vast improvements: the squad completed 148 laps to give it a respectable mileage total for the week and allowed it to end the shakedown feeling positive.
“It’s great, we are all very, very happy,” added Binotto, who was previously the Ferrari team principal from 2019 to 2022. “It’s a fantastic project, as we all believe, we are all committed – but we know as well that there is a lot to build, a lot to grow.
Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team
Photo by: Audi
“Those three days of running have been very, very important. I think we are doing well somehow for where we are in our journey. The reliability is always very critical, but we had several problems, small ones, not dramatic, and I think here again there is a lot of positives.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Hulkenberg, as the veteran of 250 grand prix starts labelled Friday as “our best day here this week” with it showing how the team can bounce back from disappointment.
“More than 140 laps,” the German added to F1 TV. “Some good mileage for the car and for all the components, and on the PU side, it’s important for us to get that sort of mileage.
“Many lessons there again that we’ll obviously analyse. So yeah, a lot of info to digest and reflect on and then obviously regroup and go again in Bahrain.
“All in all, positive week. We’re obviously just at the beginning – many, many findings and learnings day by day as we go, but it’s been good.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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