Mattia Binotto sets sights on the world championship: The plan for Audi to reach the top. Audi aims for F1 glory: Mattia Binotto sets 2030 championship target.

In an extensive exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Mattia Binotto opened up once again about Audi’s Formula 1 project. As the first half of the 2026 season draws to a close, the German manufacturer has collected just six championship points. With the R26 still lacking the pace to challenge consistently and reliability issues slowing progress, the road ahead for Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto remains steep—but far from impossible.

Mattia Binotto’s vision: building an Audi capable of fighting at the front

Behind the scenes, Audi is working relentlessly to deliver a more competitive car and improve performance for the coming seasons. For the Italian team principal, however, the objectives extend well beyond the immediate future.

“Actually, we’ve set ourselves a target that goes well beyond 2026 and 2027,” Mattia Binotto explained. “Our goal is 2030: we want to build a team capable of competing for the Formula 1 World Championship. We know there will be important milestones along the way. The first one will probably come in 2028, when we expect to make another significant step forward,” he added.

“That’s why I see 2026 and 2027 primarily as years of building the project, rather than seasons that should be judged solely by race results.” – the former Ferrari team boss pointed out.

For now, Mattia Binotto believes the priority is ensuring that every part of the organisation develops together and works in complete harmony.

“At this stage, what matters most to me is seeing the company work well as a whole. Just over one hundred people work at the racetrack, but behind the scenes there are around 1,400 people working every day on the chassis and the power unit. People often only see the race team, but that’s just the visible part of the project. Racing is the icing on the cake. First, though, we have to bake the cake. For me, the most important results over the next two years will be the growth of the organisation,” he concluded.

Beyond Audi’s long-term ambitions, Binotto also discussed several other key technical topics during the interview, including the ADUO system, which we will cover in the following article.