Audi (currently Sauber) announced a major shake-up on July 23. They axed Andreas Seidl, the F1 team’s CEO, and Oliver Hoffman, who was overseeing the project. Surprisingly, only one man came in to replace the two departures – former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto. It has been 13 days since he assumed leadership and big decisions are already been taken. The latest one involves a multi-million dollar sponsorship battle.

A week ago, SportsBusiness revealed that Adidas was in an advanced stage of sponsorship talks with Audi. The German team, set to enter F1 in 2026, had nearly sealed the €30 million (~$32.7 Mn) deal, but Binotto’s arrival paused the game. As per Sport1.de, the Italian threw Adidas’ compatriot yet rival, Puma, into the mix. What’s the reason, you ask? The answer lies in Binotto’s Ferrari past.

Puma and Ferrari have a 20-year-long F1 partnership that began in 2005 and was renewed in 2023. Binotto, who spent 28 years with Ferrari before his exit in 2022, never suffered a problem with the German multinational corporation. Moreover, Puma is also F1’s official provider, having renewed its contract on a multi-year deal last year. This gives them greater credibility over Adidas.

But somehow, Mercedes easily replaced 12-year partner, Puma, with Adidas for 2025 and beyond. If Binotto succeeds in getting Puma on board with Audi, it’ll be sweet vengeance for them against the ‘three stripes’. This scenario also highlights the extent of Binotto’s control over the German team. He didn’t have similar power at Ferrari, which is controlled by its many shareholders and answers to Italy, as a whole. Can the 54-year-old turn this into his superpower for Audi’s rise?

Guenther Steiner aware of the tough challenges that await Mattia Binotto

Mattia Binotto isn’t alone at Audi’s helm. The German manufacturers have also poached Red Bull‘s Sporting Director, Jonathan Wheatley, to take over the Team Principal role. Even Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack was on their shortlist but didn’t make it through. Audi seems to be creating a super team with the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. But even the Avengers didn’t succeed at all times.

Though Guenther Steiner backs Binotto’s capabilities, he remains wary of F1’s unpredictability which he experienced firsthand as Haas boss. “I believe Mattia is a good choice,” he told SRF. “I worked with him for a long time at Ferrari and before that we were friends, so I know him quite well. He understands the business language and knows how to set up the right structure and create the right processes. I don’t want to say it’s easy for him, because nothing is easy in Formula 1. But at least he knows how to go about it,” Steiner concluded.

Binotto’s arrival will also play a key role in finalizing their driver line-up. Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are currently leading the race to retain the remaining seat. Though both drivers were taken aback by the “sudden” change in leadership, Bottas, for one, expects the contract talks to restart with the new boss. Unless Binotto throws in a complete wildcard, 10-time Grand Prix winner Bottas is the best option for the seat. And only time will tell what the former Ferrari team boss cooks up.