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Audi boss Mattia Binotto has explained why he believes the team is currently where Ferrari was in 1995, as it continues towards its "concrete" aim of fighting for world championships by 2030. Audi entered F1 for the first time in 2026, doing so as a full works outfit after assuming control of Sauber, enticed in by the new power unit regulations. Drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto have scored 12 points so far, although the team has also finished 11th in six of the 11 races, with Bortoleto even suggesting that the R26 chassis is among the best on the grid. The team has been frank that its power unit is the key focus of its attention to boost competitiveness, with it being clear before the start of the season that Audi's timeline had a championship challenge coming not before 2030 as the team built itself up to the calibre required to challenge the might of Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari. After buying out Sauber, Audi inherited the factory at Hinwil in Switzerland, which had not had as much investment as other teams in recent years, with the team remaining towards the lower midfield after being bought by Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing in 2016 and through its Sauber, Alfa Romeo, and Stake guises until Audi's buyout for '26. For Binotto, a former Ferrari team principal who climbed the ranks from engine test engineer to the top job between 2019 and 2022, he sees a clear similarity between the facilities at Hinwil today and those at Maranello when he joined in 1995 - when Jean Todt was trying to rebuild the team, before hiring the likes of Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Michael Schumacher. "If someone is visiting Mercedes, Ferrari, or McLaren, and then visiting ourselves, they will realise that there is a gap or a clear difference," Binotto exclusively told RacingNews365. "Our buildings, our infrastructure, are not at the level of the top teams, but that is not a blame. That's a matter of fact because what was the ambition of the past team ownership; so today, there is a gap, and we need to ramp it up. "We need to become bigger in the future; we need more people; we need more space for manufacturing, so we are certainly looking into plans for expanding, because expansion will be a factor in our success of tomorrow. "But expansion does not happen overnight, but we are looking into those projects; it is something we are seriously considering, and once there is a decision, we will inform. "When I joined, it was for like what I saw of the Ferrari of 1995, and for me, the comparison is to the Ferrari of 1995. "It is an old and small factory, little people and processes implemented, so for me, the comparison is really back to the Ferrari, so it's like the Ferrari of 1995 compared to the Ferrari of today. "I think that what we've done has been going in the right direction; the team is improving and progressing, and at the factory, much is happening which is not visible to the media or fans. "But a lot is happening, and we are honestly and truly building our foundations for the future, so yes, I can confirm 2030 is certainly achievable [to fight for the world championship], and 2030 is a concrete objective." Also interesting: Join RacingNews365's Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they dissect the biggest storylines looking ahead to the second half of the F1 season, featuring the likes of Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Rather watch the podcast? 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 Google 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..