Michael Andretti might be smirking at today’s news. He and his proposed F1 team have been hearing nothing but praise for the current F1 lineup’s stability. However, new revelations suggest otherwise.
Guenther Steiner once claimed, “Five years ago, you could get teams for nothing… Now, all of a sudden, everybody wants a team.” He even mentioned that no team is struggling. But recent events tell a different story.
Ex-Alpine boss Otmar Szafnaeur disclosed that the French team fell tens of millions short of the cost cap limit. Additionally, Ralph Schumacher revealed another team had to keep a pay driver to fill a $1 billion budget gap.
Audi F1 is undergoing major changes. They recruited Mattia Binotto to head their project and sacked Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman. Despite acquiring Sauber, their project is not progressing smoothly.
Technical director James Key admitted, “We’re probably not going to be the final Audi product we’re aiming for until about 2027…” This statement raised questions about their timeline and competitiveness.
On the track, Sauber is struggling. They are the only team with no points in 2024. Although their performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying was better, with Valtteri Bottas just missing Q3, there are still issues.
Zhou Guangyu, China’s first F1 driver, is in his third season. Despite his promising debut in 2022, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. Yet, he brought $30 million to the team, which Schumacher claims saved them from collapse.
Reports suggest Zhou and his backers offered Haas F1 $30 million for a 2025 drive. Schumacher told Sky Germany, “The project was actually on the brink of collapse at Audi because there was apparently a small miscalculation, amounting to around €1 billion.”
Audi lacked the funds for new recruits and necessary investments. Schumacher defended outgoing Andrea Seidl, saying he was fighting with limited resources. With Binotto’s arrival, there’s hope, but the constant personnel changes are troubling.
Schumacher hinted at possible political motives for Binotto’s hiring, including a potential recruitment of Carlos Sainz. Sainz joined Ferrari under Binotto and the two share a strong rapport.
Sauber/Audi signed Nico Hulkenberg on a multi-season deal, hopefully with a solid plan in place to cover their financial gap. The future remains uncertain, but there are glimmers of hope amid the turmoil.
The current scenario shows that even the most reputed teams can face financial hiccups. The upcoming seasons will reveal if Audi can turn their fortunes around.
