Audi, Binotto takes full powers: “But I need someone to support me in the GPs”

Controversial resignation At Audi, this break of more than a month from racing in April – generated by the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs due to the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf – was probably welcomed positively. In fact, the Hinwil team must necessarily reorganize itself after the surprising and controversial resignation of team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who officially left the team for personal reasons but who, according to some background information, had conflicts with the top manager of the Audi F1 project, Mattia Binotto. The former Ferrari team principal denied this reconstruction, saying that Wheatley was “well integrated” into the team. However, it certainly remains to be understood how the German team will be managed during the season. Originally it was hypothesized that Audi might be looking for a new team principal on the market, but in reality this possibility seems to have been trashed by Binotto himself. In fact, the Italian-Swiss manager had already spoken to journalists in Japan, saying that he could keep control of the team even by occupying the role of team principal. Of ‘full powers’ which should not be too surprising, also remembering the last part of Binotto’s Ferrari period, when he tried to shape the team completely according to his desires, leading to clashes with various figures within Maranello. A single man in power, but with an assistant. The only opening that Binotto himself has made is for a person who can support him on the track and can replace him in the races in which he will not be present on the circuit: the priority of the 56-year-old engineer born in Lausanne will in fact be above all the development and growth of the team’s factory: “For the future, I think we are not looking for a new team principal – commented the person directly involved – I will keep the role, but I will need someone to support me on weekends race, because I won’t always be able to be present in person. I have to focus above all on the factory, where there is more need to transform, I would say, not only to develop, but certainly to transform, support is needed during the race weekends.” A name that has recently emerged for this ‘cooperation’ is that of Allan McNish, a former driver and long-time loyal collaborator of Audi, who was one of the very first to be involved in the F1 project when it was announced four years ago.