Audi have announced an organisational restructure as they prepare for their Formula 1 debut in 2026, with Mattia Binotto expanding his responsibilities as Head of Audi F1 Project while Christian Foyer joins in the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer amid the departure of Chief Executive Officer Adam Baker.
In his role, Binotto – who arrived at the company as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer last summer – will be responsible for development activities at the Hinwil and Neuburg an der Donau facilities, as well as at the future technical centre in England.
As their arrival into the sport nears – with Audi set to take over the Kick Sauber outfit – the manufacturer have stated that “the close coordination of development activities is aimed at achieving seamless coordination between race car and powertrain” under the leadership of Binotto.
Binotto has expanded his responsibilities as Head of Audi F1 Project
Foyer, meanwhile, has joined the management board of Audi Formula Racing GmbH (AFR) – which is responsible for the F1 hybrid powertrain – on May 1, with his focus being on operational processes.
The German engineer has worked in operations and project management for various F1 teams and manufacturers for around 18 years and will take over operational responsibility for the areas previously managed by Baker, who is leaving the project by mutual agreement.
“We would like to thank Adam Baker for his commitment over the past years,” says Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Management at AUDI AG. “He played a decisive role in shaping the overall strategic concept for the entry of Audi into Formula 1 and got the development of the power unit in Neuburg off the ground.
Wheatley started in his role as Team Principal at the future Audi F1 team in April
“With Christian Foyer, we are now bringing a proven expert in process structures in F1 powertrain development into the project. His experience will help ensure the synergistic cooperation and necessary speed on the journey we have embarked upon regarding the debut.”
The CEO role will now be eliminated as part of the reorganisation, while Stefan Dreyer will continue to head power unit development in Neuburg as CTO as well as taking on the new role of spokesperson for the AFR management board.
READ MORE: Sauber to open UK ‘technical centre’ as transition to Audi works team gathers pace
Another recent change saw Jonathan Wheatley start in his position as Team Principal and Management Board Spokesperson at Sauber Motorsport AG in April, with his focus being on managing the race operations of the squad that will become Audi in 2026.
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