Audi team principal Mattia Binotto says the squad has the fourth-best chassis on the grid after analyzing GPS data from the opening rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The team sits ninth in the constructors’ standings with a best finish of ninth place at the Australian Grand Prix. Binotto identified the power unit as the main area needing improvement.
Binotto told the Beyond the Grid podcast that the R26 car performs well in corners and that the chassis assessment matches wind-tunnel and simulator findings. He placed the team behind Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren in chassis performance. Reliability problems have limited results so far. One driver missed the start of both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix because of technical issues. Gabriel Bortoleto’s ninth-place finish in Australia remains the team’s strongest result. Binotto ruled out closing the power-unit gap by 2027 and set 2028 as the realistic target for meaningful gains in performance, controls and drivability. The longer-term aim is to challenge for titles by 2030 while building a winning mentality across the organisation.
