Formula 1
Audi admits it won't have the best F1 engine in 2026
Audi F1 lead Mattia Binotto says he is “confident” in the outfit's engine programme but warns the 2026 rules could “kickstart a period of dominance” for another team
Owen Bellwood Franco Nugnes
Edited: May 27, 2025, 3:28 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The next 12 months will be pivotal for the Sauber team, with the outfit bracing itself for the arrival of Formula 1’s sweeping new regulations and preparing to become Audi’s factory team. Audi will develop the engine, which F1 lead Mattia Binotto warns won’t be “the best” on the grid.
For 2026, Formula 1 will roll out new regulations to make its cars more nimble to liven up races. New engine rules will increase the use of electrical energy in a grand prix to help the series become more sustainable.
Alongside the new engine rules, F1 will also welcome new engine manufacturers, with Audi and Ford – through a partnership with Red Bull - set to join from 2026 and Cadillac following from 2029.
“Making power units – I know this well because I was an engine engineer – is much more complex and complicated than one might imagine watching races as a spectator,” said Binotto, who is the head of Audi’s F1 project, in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
Binotto previously worked at Ferrari as it navigated the series’ last major engine shakeup, which came in 2014 with the introduction of the current-generation V6 hybrid power units.
“Now, however, we are entering something extremely advanced that has never been done. Therefore, we will find a higher level of difficulty, even though the starting point is always an engine. We will have to change the culture of the engine and it will not be easy.”
The new rules require a 50-50 split in power produced by the internal combustion unit and the electrical components. The complex MGU-H, which harvests thermal energy from the combustion engine, is being removed, and the motors will all be required to run on 100% sustainable fuels.
These sweeping changes are providing a challenge for engine manufacturers, and Binotto admits that Audi is no different.
“We're focused on ourselves,” he said. “We know that 2026 will not be the year in which we'll be at the top. We won't have the best power unit, but the path that has been taken is the right one, I'm confident.”
Mattia Binotto, Sauber
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
The impending rule change could also open up new avenues of competition, as teams will have a say on what fuels they use in their new engines. Options including e-fuels and biofuels are available, which Binotto adds means that “fuel will become a differentiating factor” for teams in 2026.
Interestingly, Audi may have a leg up in this regard as its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, has a history with e-fuels. Through its Porsche brand, the company is investing heavily in sustainable petrol alternatives and has backed a production site in Chile.
This project, which kicked off in 2023, could help Audi’s performance next season, but Binotto admits that he’s heard “rumours” that one team could once again capitalise on the sweeping power unit changes: Mercedes. The German outfit is reportedly already a step above the rest, and Binotto warns that the move to new motors could once again kickstart a period of dominance for one team.
“In 2014 when a more important hybrid was introduced on the power unit, it was an engine championship at the beginning,” he says. “Because Mercedes had made the difference. It's a situation that could happen again and those who have to recover will try to do so.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean the season is shaping up to be a Mercedes clean sweep once again. And we won’t truly know how the new power units stack up until lights go out at the first race of the 2026 season.
One thing’s for sure, however. 2026 will mark a turning point in the history of the Sauber team, which last won an F1 race in 2008 when it competed under another German brand: BMW.
Read Also:
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Victor Martins to make F1 practice debut with Williams at Spanish GP
Next article Interview: Sauber talisman Beat Zehnder on 601 consecutive races in F1
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Owen Bellwood
Mercedes: 2027 development “started a while ago” as F1 2026 domination continues
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
Mercedes: 2027 development “started a while ago” as F1 2026 domination continues
Fred Vasseur shuts down claims Ferrari split Spanish GP strategy to separate drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
Fred Vasseur shuts down claims Ferrari split Spanish GP strategy to separate drivers
Why McLaren won’t blame F1 race control for lost Spanish GP victory
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
Why McLaren won’t blame F1 race control for lost Spanish GP victory
Latest news
Tom Cruise interested in racing ARCA car, per NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
2 h
Tom Cruise interested in racing ARCA car, per NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
Gibbs, Spire and Gabehart argue over contempt and injunction
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
5 h
Gibbs, Spire and Gabehart argue over contempt and injunction
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
5 h
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 6 h
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe