Audi and Cadillac face uphill battle: Riccardo Patrese analyzes the 2026 newcomers. Riccardo Patrese believes Audi will grow in Formula 1 despite early struggles.

Patrese: “Audi is in F1 to win. But it’s not easy, Ferrari has been trying for 20 years.” The former F1 driver sees Audi and Cadillac trailing at the start of the new era, but while the four-ringed brand has strong recovery potential, the road will be tougher for the Americans.

F1 newcomers struggling

It is said that regulatory revolutions shuffle the deck in Formula 1, giving smaller teams reason to dream. However, these changes are often interpreted best by the top teams, which have highly efficient structures and greater adaptability than lower-tier teams. It’s therefore not surprising that, during the Montmeló shakedown, the two teams furthest behind were Audi and Cadillac, due both to technical issues and car pace.

Both are automotive giants, yet in the pinnacle of motorsport, excellence cannot be expected immediately. And nobody really anticipates it: Audi knows this well. The brand’s F1 project head, Mattia Binotto, has openly discussed being competitive only by 2030 and described “a list of problems longer than anything I’ve seen in my career.”

Patrese’s take

The uncompetitive times of Audi do not worry Riccardo Patrese, who believes the four-ringed manufacturer will struggle initially but has the capacity to grow: “It will be tough for them. We’ll see how good they are with the engine. But Audi is Audi—when they compete, they are always very strong,” he told BetVictor. “Audi didn’t come to F1 just to participate, they want to win. But winning is never easy. Ferrari has been waiting almost 20 years.”

A dig at Cadillac

Patrese is far less optimistic about Cadillac, which he believes misjudged the market: “I’m not sure about the choice of the two drivers. They are good, but too old. An experienced driver is fine—Perez or Bottas—but it would have been better to have a second newcomer with plenty of hunger. Having two similar drivers, neither of whom has shown world champion potential, is strange. Both are a bit below the level of a true world champion.”

The contrasting philosophies of these two new entrants will be under the microscope in the 2026 Formula 1 season. While Audi relies on its engineering heritage and a long-term roadmap, Cadillac faces immediate questions about its ambition and the vitality of its veteran driver pairing.