'Turning Audi into F1 winners like climbing Everest'

Audi has an "enormous" task on its hands to turn its Sauber team into Formula 1 winners, says boss Mattia Binotto.

Audi will enter F1 officially in 2026, but has been in control of Switzerland-based Sauber since earlier this year.

Binotto, a former Ferrari team principal, was installed as chief operating officer and chief technical officer in August.

"It’s not only climbing a big mountain, it’s climbing Everest. It will take several years," Binotto told BBC Sport.

"Our objective is by the end of the decade to be able to fight for the championships."

Sauber, of which Audi takes 100% ownership at the beginning of next year, is last in this season’s constructors' championship and is the only team to have failed to score a point with six races to go.

Binotto said: "When you are here and you start looking into the details, the more you look, the more you realise where you are and what are the main differences to what I knew from before from Ferrari.

"Certainly the gap and the differences are many and the gap is big.

"It’s big because of dimensions, because of number of people, because of mindset, because of tools, facilities. Whatever you look around, it is really comparing a small team to a top team."

Binotto dismissed speculation that wider problems in the VW Group, external, which owns Audi, could lead to the cancellation of the F1 project as "not true".

"We can clearly state there are no risks," Binotto said. "And the F1 programmes really fit with the Audi brand and vision."

He added: "We are in F1 until we win and after. It is a long-term commitment. We have joined F1 to be here and stay here.

"We intend to become a winning team and to set the benchmark and to stay then. It is not a joining and leaving. F1 is the pinnacle of the motorsport, it is great Audi is part of it finally and they are simply committed to stay."

Binotto’s recruitment came after Audi sacked the former leadership team of Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann amid concerns over lack of progress.

The Swiss is part of what Audi describes as a dual leadership structure, with Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley joining as team principal next year.

Binotto will run the factories in Switzerland and Germany while Wheatley will be in charge of the race team.

"The collaboration will certainly be fruitful," Binotto said.

"I don’t think there is any overlap, I do not foresee any problems. On the contrary, I think having an incredible expert as he is from racing and myself back at the factory will make the team stronger."

Binotto said Sauber’s current plight was partly caused by the complexities of the transfer of ownership from Finn Rausing to Audi, which first announced its intention to enter F1 in 2022.

Binotto said: "When Audi bought some shares and had the programme to become the full owner in the future, internally some plans have been done, some strategic plans have been discussed and established but not yet come to execution. So Sauber have been remaining in a limbo for a while.

"Second, certainly let’s say some of the focus and energies were put towards 2026, to try to make sure Audi was ready to start in 2026, and that took off some energy on the normal development path for 2024 and 2025."

He said "the only realistic objective we can set right now" was for the team to improve year to year.

Audi was attracted to F1 because of the new engine regulations that are being introduced in 2026. These increase the proportion of power of the engine provided by electricity to about 50% and employ fully sustainable fuels.

Binotto said this was "the right alternative to full electric".

Audi signed German Nico Hulkenberg to a multi-year contract earlier this year and Binotto said they had not yet decided on his team-mate, and were trying to decide between a rookie who could grow with the team, or an experienced driver "who may help the team move on into the near future".