The start line in sight

Although the actual race car won’t be unveiled until January, the Audi R26 Concept, shown for the first time at the Brand Experience Centre in Munich, points towards the future of the brand’s racing identity and its coming Formula 1 debut. At an event that saw both the future of the brand’s motorsport aspirations and examples from its illustrious past, the R26 was presented to the world and the countdown to Audi’s official entry to Formula 1 begins in earnest.

Obviously this is a tremendous occasion for the brand and represents so much more than another chapter in an already proud racing history. Audi’s entree to the world’s top racing category will be felt in all facets of the brand as well as having an enormous symbolic significance.

“By entering the pinnacle of motorsport, Audi is making a clear, ambitious statement,” says Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. 

“It is the next chapter in the company’s renewal. Formula 1 will be a catalyst for the change towards a leaner, faster and more innovative Audi.” 

Massimo Frascella, Audi’s Chief Creative Officer and the man most recently responsible for the striking Concept C, echoes Döllner’s sentiment.

“We are implementing a unifying design language that draws together every aspect of our organisation. This makes the Formula 1 project a pioneer for the new brand identity, which will be rolled out in the future both for the F1 team and Audi as a whole,” Frascella says.

But of course, that’s not to say that the brand is not deadly serious about competing at the highest level, and like all of its motorsport endeavours to date, becoming the best is the obvious goal.

“We are not entering Formula 1 just to be there. We want to win,” says Döllner.

“At the same time, we know that you don’t become a top team in Formula 1 overnight. It takes time, perseverance and tireless questioning of the status quo. By 2030, we want to fight for the World Championship title.”

While final livery will not be revealed until the race car is shown in January, the brand’s racing colour scheme is made up of titanium, carbon black and the newly introduced Audi red and will also sport red rings. Corporate partners adidas, bp oils and future title partner Revolut have already been announced, along with the brand’s acquisition of the Sauber Group in Switzerland earlier in the year and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) fund’s subsequent as an investor.

Likewise in terms of personal, former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley (formerly Red Bull) head up the Audi formula racing operation with current Sauber drivers, German Nico Hülkenberg and Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto set to lead the team out come the first race of 2026.

Work has also continued apace on the development of the the power unit for the 2026 at Audi Sport HQ in Neuburg an der Donau, which is the only operational location of an F1 team in Germany. Here, the brand has drawn on its extensive motorsport experience across multiple disciplines to develop the new hybrid system that will be employed in Formula 1 from the 2026 season onwards. The drivetrain will consist of a 1.6-litre, turbo V6 internal combustion engine (ICE) working in concert with an energy recovery system (ERS).

This includes energy storage (ES) and an electric motor generator unit (MGU-K), as well as an electronic control unit (CU-K). In addition to the power unit, the gearbox is also being developed in Neuburg. 

Development has happened over a very short period, only getting underway in earnest in 2022, but delivering very encouraging results after just two years when the complete powertrain ran dynamically as a unit for the first time in a race simulation on the test bench. The use of virtual simulations and digital development tools have been extremely important in the development process as it will not be possible to test the new powertrains on a racetrack until early 2026. But the first power units destined for track testing have now been completed and will be shipped from Neuburg an der Donau to their respective locations starting in December.

In addition to the work at Audi Sport, two additional sites are instrumental in the ongoing Audi Formula racing project, with the race cars built at Sauber’s facility in Hinwil in Switzerland where planning and race operations are also carried out. In addition, the Audi team has a technology office in Bicester, England in what’s known as ‘Motorsport Valley’ where the other major Formula 1 teams all have a presence.

Although so much has already been achieved, there is still a great deal to do in what is now a very short period of time. With the current Formula 1 season finishing in Abu Dhabi at the start of December, it will only be a matter of weeks before the brand’s future Audi F1 team will make its full public debut at the official team launch in January 2026. 

From there the first official test drives with the new-generation Formula 1 cars will take place in Barcelona at the end of January, although these will be closed to public and media scrutiny. Further testing will take place in Bahrain (11–13 February and 18–20 February), and these sessions will allow the public its first look at the Audi factory team in action.

Then of course all eyes will turn to Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit in March from 6 to 8 to see Audi line up on the grid for the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season. A new era for Formula 1 and another historic moment for Audi motorsport.

The countdown is well and truly on.