Is Rolf Michl facing the end as managing director of Audi Sport GmbH? The former Abt manager, who became motorsport boss and managing director of the Audi subsidiary responsible for performance vehicles on September 1, 2022, is set to be transferred to China, according to information from Motorsport-Total.com.
Rumours about Michl's departure have been circulating for some time - if everything goes according to plan, the move is set to take place this year. Motorsport was integrated into Audi Sport GmbH at Audi in 2020. The 48-year-old Michl succeeded Julius Seebach as head of both areas four years ago.
As Motorsport-Total.com has learned, Michl is currently only Audi Sport managing director. That is because, with the end of the Dakar programme at the beginning of 2024 as the Volkswagen subsidiary's last remaining factory motorsport project, the position of motorsport boss was abolished at the time and not filled again. This was never communicated publicly.
Motorsport boss in times of cutbacks at Audi
In the Michl era, motorsport was gradually scaled back. The end of the long-standing and successful customer racing programme, which also includes the factory-supported GT3 outings with the Audi R8 LMS, caused major debate and a great deal of displeasure among fans.
Production of the mid-engined car was discontinued, and the driver roster was also dissolved at the end of 2023. Since then, in the GT3 sector Audi has only ensured the basic support for the vehicles currently on the market, to which the manufacturer is obliged.
The Dakar programme, as the only remaining factory project that fell within Michl's area of responsibility, was also discontinued after the victory at the beginning of 2024. The background to the cutbacks in Audi's motorsport division was the focus on the complex Formula 1 entry in the 2026 season.
The Formula 1 project was outsourced from the start and therefore was never part of Michl's remit. A separate company, Audi Formula Racing GmbH, was founded for the Formula 1 powertrain and is the responsibility of Mattia Binotto. The same applies to the racing team in Hinwil. The Italian reports directly to Audi boss Gernot Döllner.
Rumours about Michl's departure for some time
Michl's rise from Audi Sport operations manager to managing director and Audi motorsport boss still came during the period when Markus Duesmann was Audi boss and Oliver Hoffmann, as a board member, headed technical development. When Döllner became Audi boss in September 2023 and Hoffmann's time was also up in February 2024, rumours about Michl's imminent departure were already increasing.
It will now be interesting to see how things continue at Audi Sport GmbH. In addition to building the performance models, the Neuburg-based sport division currently still comprises customer racing basic support and the Racing Legends project founded in 2025. In that project, legendary Audi racing cars - for example from the DTM or the prototype era at Le Mans - are sold to private customers.
New managing director, but no motorsport boss?
There are no indications that there will be a new motorsport boss any time soon. Audi, however, definitely needs a managing director for Audi Sport GmbH. Since Sebastian Grams' departure at the end of 2023, Michl has been the sole managing director of the performance division based in Neckarsulm.
First, however, it also needs to be clarified what role Audi Sport GmbH is to have in the future and whether there may possibly be a GT3 future for the brand after all. That is because, with the Audi Nuvolari, a super sports car based on the Lamborghini Temerario was presented this year, which could also serve as the basis for a new GT3 car.
