The Sauer team's next year will be crucial as they get ready to become Audi's factory team and prepare for the introduction of Formula 1's extensive new regulations. The engine, which F1 leader Mattia Binotto cautions won't be the best on the field, will be developed by Audi.
Formula 1 will implement new rules in 2026 to increase the agility of its vehicles and spice its competitions. To make the series more sustainable, new engine regulations will require a grand prix to utilize more electrical energy.
F1 will also welcome new engine manufacturers in addition to the revised engine regulations. Audi and Ford, in a cooperation with Red Bull, are scheduled to join starting in 2026, and Cadillac will follow starting in 2029.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Binotto, the leader of Audi's F1 project, stated, I know this well because I was an engine engineer. Making power units is much more complex and complicated than one might imagine watching races as a spectator.
When the current-generation V6 hybrid power units were introduced in 2014, the series saw its final significant engine shakeup, which Binotto had previously worked at Ferrari to negotiate. But now we are going into something really sophisticated that has never been done before. Therefore, even if an engine is always the beginning point, we will discover a higher level of complexity. It won't be simple, but we will need to alter the engine's culture.
Under the new regulations, the power generated by the internal combustion engine and the electrical components must be divided 50/50. All of the motors will need to run on entirely sustainable fuels, and the intricate MGU-H that collects heat energy from the combustion engine is being eliminated.
Engine manufacturers are facing a difficulty as a result of these radical changes, and Binotto acknowledges that Audi is no exception. We are self-centered, he stated. We are aware that 2026 will not be our year of dominance. Even if we won't have the finest power unit, I'm sure that the course that has been chosen is the appropriate one.
Sauber, Mattia Binotto
Because teams will have a choice in what fuels they use in their new engines, the next regulation change may potentially create new opportunities for competitiveness. According to Binotto, the availability of options like as biofuels and e-fuels implies that "fuel will become a differentiating factor" for teams in 2026.
It's interesting to note that Audi could have an advantage in this area because the Volkswagen Group, its parent business, has experience with e-fuels. The business is making significant investments in environmentally friendly fuel substitutes under the Porsche brand and has supported a Chilean production facility.
This effort, which began in 2023, may improve Audi's performance the following season, although Binotto acknowledges that he has heard "rumors" that Mercedes may once again profit from the extensive power unit upgrades. According to reports, the German team is already one step ahead of the others, and Binotto cautions that switching to new motors might once more lead to a period of domination for one team.
When a more significant hybrid was added to the power unit in 2014, it started off as an engine championship, he claims. Because the difference had been Mercedes's. Those that need to recuperate will make an effort because it's a circumstance that could recur.
Naturally, this does not imply that Mercedes will sweep the field once more this season. And until the lights go off at the first race of the 2026 season, we won't really know how the new power units compare. But one thing is certain. The Sauber team, which last won an F1 race in 2008 while competing under the German brand BMW, will undergo a sea change in 2026.
