Alan McNish has revealed that turning into Audi F1 racing director was a “no-brainer” choice after “engaged on the challenge from day one”.
McNish took over the reins at Audi after former Crimson Bull ahead Jonathan Wheatley abruptly left the group for “private causes” simply two rounds into the 2026 marketing campaign.
Talking in Miami, the Scotsman, who beforehand led the Audi Formulation E group to championship success and achieved two outright wins on the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi, gave the impression to be settling into his new function effectively. His different victory got here in 1998 with a Porsche.
“Once I retired from racing in 2013, I used to be requested the identical query and I mentioned I might not be concerned in group administration or the rest as a result of I knew how tough it will be for me, having to take care of drivers like me,” McNish mentioned jokingly.
“However the actuality is, issues change, life modifications, so the rule is to by no means say by no means.”
“I’ve recognized about this challenge since day one. I have been concerned with this challenge in numerous roles actually from the start, so in that respect it was very clear to me. Being in Melbourne and seeing that automobile racing for the primary time was undoubtedly a particular second.”
“And after I acquired the decision and went to debate it, from my private perspective, it made sense. Yeah, one hundred pc. As a result of, once more, I’ve lived it since day one, so why would not I?”
The request for McNish to develop on his present place as head of Audi’s driver improvement program got here straight from group principal Mattia Binotto.
Whereas Binotto stays the “boss,” McNish moved on to elucidate how the 2 males will work collectively somewhat than in opposition to one another.
“Mattia is the group principal, he’s the CEO and I’m the racing director,” McNish defined.
“As you’d count on from his expertise with the ability unit and his understanding of the group’s key roles, he successfully covers every thing within the energy unit and in Hinwil.
“I am targeted on every thing we do right here (on the circuit) by way of race administration, and on the identical time proceed to work on all the driver improvement applications that we began initially of the yr and one other factor referred to as Legends that is post-race director-related. However that is sooner or later.”
“In that regard, in the meanwhile he is there extra as a assist and an awesome assist than essentially straight concerned within the function that I play.”
