Binotto sends Stake F1 strong Audi warning

Mattia Binotto has told Stake that it simply "cannot afford" to finish last in the 2024 constructors', as it prepares for Audi's arrival.

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have endured a tricky season, and are yet to score a point between them with Stake rooted to the foot of the constructors' championship. 

Williams is in ninth-place on six points, with new Sauber Motorsport chief operating and chief technical officer Binotto on-site for the first time at the Italian GP to evaluate the team's strengths and weaknesses.

Given the lack of competitiveness shown by the team since mid-2022, scoring at least six points to tie Williams and jump ahead on countback seems a tall order, but it is one Binotto feels must happen.

"Certainly not, we cannot afford it," Binotto told media including RacingNews365 when asked about the possibility of finishing last in the championship.

"I think of the winning team it will become in the future, and the only way to start doing that is to start moving up, progressing - we need to train our muscles for the future.

"We certainly need to improve, that is important for the brand, our partners and we cannot accept the current position, but it is a matter of fact. 

"We were last and second last in [Italian GP qualifying] and some distance to the cars ahead.

Binotto's long-term plan

Audi will fully take over Sauber Motorsport for 2026, with preparations well underway as ex-Ferrari boss Binotto also declared the team must take small steps forward to achieve its competitive goals.

"We need to put effort, let's say, immediately into balancing the priorities on our efforts from the short to the medium to the long-term," he added.

"Our position today is not comfortable for all of us, it is very painful and we need to train our investors, and we need to improve because the solid foundations do not come in one day. 

"It is a team that needs to make continuous progress every single day, step-by-step."