Audi boss Mattia Binotto believes rival drivers being linked with the team shows the nascent F1 project is being considered as "credible."
The Ingolstadt concern took over Sauber ahead of 2026 to enter grand prix racing as a full works team for the rules overhaul, and scored points on debut in Australia with Gabriel Bortoleto's ninth-place finish.
More points have been scored in Britain, Belgium, and, through Nico Hulkenberg, in Hungary, with the team moving above Williams into eighth in the constructors' heading into the summer break. The team has also finished 11th six times from the first 11 races, thus just missing out on further points.
Bortoleto claimed at the Austrian GP that the R-26 chassis was among the best in the field, with the team being open that the in-house power unit is the weak link, but improvements are expected through ADUO, with the team remaining committed to its 2030 target to challenge for race wins and the world championship.
As the team has improved, rival drivers have been linked to the project, including Carlos Sainz, who held serious talks with the team through 2024 when trying to find a new team after being forced to leave Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri has also been touted as a possibility for Audi, but Binotto swatted away those links in an exclusive RacingNews365 interview, insisting he was more than happy with Bortoleto and Hulkenberg, and that the links go to show the team is proving it is a "credible" contender.
"First, I'm not reading the newspapers myself, or not reading much, so I'm hearing from you," Binotto replied when RacingNews365 exclusively asked him about the potential links to Sainz and Piastri.
"Carlos is certainly a person whom I know very well, and it's somehow easy and obvious to link him to Audi, but I can only say that I'm very happy with the lineup we have.
"Often, when discussing Gabriel and Nico, what I hear is that it is a good mix between experience and, on the other side, the young driver.
"Instead, I would judge them differently. They are two very fast drivers, and I am happy because they are fast drivers, both of them, so we've got a good line-up.
"The fact that other drivers are linked to our team, I can only be very happy with because it is showing the credibility of our project is improving.
"It is showing that the perception from the outside that one day we can become competitive is no longer a rumour, but it is a fact."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look back on last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Mercedes being comfortably beatable is a major talking point, as is whether Lando Norris has the capability of completing a title fight comeback.
Rather watch this episode? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Interviews RN365 News dossier
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!