Important news from Germany
The Audi F1 project continues to take shape ahead of its official debut expected in 2026. As the 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 the future technical center to be based in England (similar to the Renault model, which had its power unit factory in Viry-Châtillon and the team headquarters in Enstone).
As a result, Audi is bringing together its operational units within the Formula 1 project under unified management and is pushing forward with even greater integration. Just under ten months from its debut in the top tier of motorsport, the close coordination of development activities aims to achieve perfect alignment between the teams dedicated to the car and power unit development. Under the overall leadership of Mattia Binotto, existing structures will be optimized and development speed will increase further thanks to greater efficiency.
Starting May 1, 2025, Christian Foyer has joined the board of directors of Audi Formula Racing GmbH (AFR) as head of the F1 hybrid powertrain. He will focus on operational processes in his new position as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Born in Aachen, Germany, in 1977, the engineering graduate specialized in combustion engines and worked for about 18 years in operations and project management for various F1 teams and manufacturers. Foyer will take over the operational responsibilities previously handled by CEO Adam Baker, who is leaving the project by mutual agreement.
“We would like to thank Adam Baker for his efforts over the past few years. He played a decisive role in defining the overall strategic concept for Audi’s entry into Formula 1 and helped launch the development of the power unit in Neuburg,” said Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of AUDI AG. “With Christian Foyer, we are bringing a highly competent and experienced figure into the project. His experience will help ensure synergistic cooperation and the necessary speed on the path we’ve undertaken toward our debut.”
To streamline the chain of command, the previous role of CEO will be eliminated as part of the reorganization. Stefan Dreyer will continue to lead power unit development in Neuburg as CTO and will take on the new role of spokesperson for the AFR board of directors.
Since the beginning of April, Jonathan Wheatley has served as Team Principal and spokesperson of the board of Sauber Motorsport AG. In close collaboration with Mattia Binotto, Wheatley is overseeing and shaping the transformation of the racing team. His focus is on managing race operations for the future Audi F1 Team and representing Audi as team principal in F1 Commission strategy meetings.
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