"And then a true, let me say, potential competitor for the win and final win," Binotto said.
The team principal expects that the foundational work completed throughout the remaining races of the 2026 season will establish Audi as a serious competitor in the eyes of the public and media.
"Now, 2026 is our very first season as Audi, and somehow to become competitive is really what we have set ourselves as an ambition and a target objective for the season, which is not the number of points, not the number of maybe Q3 or whatever positions in the championship.
It's the mentality transformation," Binotto explained.
The driver market remains highly restricted for Verstappen, as alternative top teams including Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari have locked in multi-year driver pairings, while Mercedes currently dominates the 2026 season with five consecutive victories.
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"To become competitive means that every single person in the team understands what does it mean to compete and being Audi," he continued.
Speculation regarding Verstappen's future heightened after paddock meetings between Jos Verstappen and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in Canada, which rival team principal Laurent Mekies dismissed as standard social interaction.
"Not anymore, as we said before, to be self-satisfied by participating, but no stones un-turned, moving forward, raising the bar and the challenge to become better each single race," Binotto stated.
Verstappen's existing Red Bull contract runs through 2028, though it contains a performance-related exit clause activatable around the upcoming summer break depending on his world championship positioning.
