Audi enters its first official season in Formula 1 with a far stronger technical and human foundation than anyone could have expected just a year ago. This is the result of an intense, almost “military” underground effort led by a group of young aerodynamicists that James Key confidently describes as his “special forces.”
The “special forces” that transformed Sauber
Audi approaches the 2026 season riding the progress made on track last year, achieved by a small team of around ten aerodynamic engineers tasked with turning the challenging Sauber C45 into a competitive midfield car in one of the most tightly contested areas of Formula 1. This outcome reflects the growing maturity of the team’s development tools and its ability to recover from years of underinvestment.
The evolution of the 2025 car was initially based on the optimism generated by improvements introduced on the 2024 Sauber, which had been lowered and stiffened. However, testing in Bahrain revealed correlation issues that had been seen in the past.
James Key explains candidly: “Unfortunately, we went on track and the car didn’t perform like it did in the simulator or as the data predicted. We asked ourselves, ‘How did we manage to get this wrong again?’ It was a bit of a process failure… Correlation issues had returned.”
From there, an exhausting but decisive teamwork effort began: “You could write a book about this… But we simply joined forces.”
The turning point came when Key entrusted the 2025 car to a group of young engineers: “You will be the special forces on the ’25 car… about 10 young aerodynamicists, very talented.”
The response was remarkable: “Instead of getting nervous, they saw it as a challenge: ‘We want to get on the podium.’ The attitude and team spirit played a fundamental role.”
Targeted upgrades and a podium that made the season
The work of the “special forces” led to three key updates to the floor of the car between Spain, Austria, and Great Britain, which increased downforce and made the car more stable and predictable. The most visible result came with Nico Hülkenberg’s podium at Silverstone, symbolizing a technical transformation built on attention to detail.
Key explains the complexity of the work undertaken: “Basically, it was all about the physics of airflow… One area we were lacking in was ‘aerodynamic robustness.’ It’s about how you use the tools, how they correlate… Probably that’s what we learned the most.”
Once the right direction was found, progress came rapidly: “Once the correct approach for Barcelona was identified, it was implemented very quickly… It spread very quickly.”
Development then paused to focus all resources on 2026, but the signal was clear: the team had found the right path.
Mattia Binotto confirms this: “Once the team has more energy and achieves good results, confidence grows… I’m proud to see young engineers who are curious, courageous, and eager to learn.”
The success of the “special forces” is not a replicable model, but it is tangible proof of a team that has regained momentum, method, and trust. Under the guidance of Binotto and Key, Audi has demonstrated it can climb a technical mountain that seemed too steep just a year ago. The 2026 season will present another complex challenge, but the trajectory is clear: aiming for the top by 2030 is no longer a distant dream, but an achievable goal with concrete foundations. In Formula 1, that is the true definition of progress.
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