Guenther Steiner: Mattia Binotto & Co. Set to Face Repeat ‘Ferrari Problem’ at Audi

Audi is making a splash even before entering the F1 pool. The team is heading towards a massive 2026 debut by buying out Sauber. However, there are several things to bring in order for the German manufacturers. And to do this work, who could be better suited than former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto? As the successor of the legendary Maurizio Arrivabene, Mattia held the reigns of F1’s oldest and most successful legacy squad from 2019 to 2023. Now, he has taken on the dual role of CTO and COO at Audi.

However, Mattia’s dismissal from the Team Principal role at Ferrari did not happen nicely. The Italian had to step down after failing to lead the Maranello outfit to victory five times in a row. During his years with the Scuderia, some problems plagued him such as finding the right personnel to make a dream team. And those problems might make a comeback to haunt Mattia Binotto, as per the predictions of ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner.

At a recent interview on the ‘Red Flags Podcast’, Steiner talked about big trouble for Audi. One of the hosts said, “Are they [Audi] going to, maybe, run into the same issues that Ferrari run into in terms of the talent because their factories and their home base are not in the UK?” Audi has its headquarters in Switzerland, and any personnel who need to work on their project will have to move there if they are based in the UK as that is where most of the F1 officials come from.

So, Steiner told the ‘Red Flags Podcast’ hosts, “Yes, I mean, you always run into it because the talent pool in the UK is a lot bigger. Taking the first exit on the roundabout to take the second one is easy but a move to Italy or Switzerland, and to move your family like this, isn’t easy.” Not just during the tenure of Mattia Binotto but Ferrari has faced the same problem of recruitment in recent times as well.

Its current Team Principal Fred Vasseur has tried to rope in Adrian Newey by hook or by crook but the Briton has not yet made a decision because moving to Italy might not be possible for him, as per rumors. However, Audi has still managed to bring in a few big names in motorsports to their Switzerland factory. In the latest news, Red Bull’s Jonathan Wheatley has decided to leave his current squad for a switch to Audi. So, what did Wheatley say about this?

Jonathan Wheatley indicates Mattia Binotto has made Audi “exciting”

Audi had Andreas Seidl as its leader until his abrupt exit in July, and the team has made a 180° turn ever since. It took up Mattia Binotto as its overall leader, and the Italian then recruited Jonathan Wheatley to manage day-to-day operations. Wheatley is a massively experienced F1 personnel who has led a part of the Red Bull team for 18 years. If, as per Guenther Steiner, Audi finds it hard to hire people because of being based outside of the UK, then how did Wheatley decide to join the German team?

According to Jonathan Wheatley’s statement about moving to Audi in 2025, he found Mattia Binotto was the differentiating factor. He said, “I am glad to be working together with Mattia, whom I have known for many years and who is the right person to collaborate with on this exciting project.” Thus, with Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley joining hands at Audi, the team should be able to surpass the problem that Guenther Steiner pointed out.

Moreover, Lewis Hamilton recently took the leap of joining Ferrari despite being a Briton himself. Seeing people like Jonathan Wheatley and Hamilton joining F1 squads outside of the UK, will more officials come to Audi?