We have ignition

Years of development work have been rewarded with the successful fire-up of the Audi Power  Unit installed in the vehicle chassis for the very first time. This is a significant moment for any Formula team with the production of each new season’s vehicle, but for the Audi Revolut F1 Team it takes on even more historic dimensions as the brand prepares to enter the very pinnacle of motorsport for the first time.

With the start of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship less than two months away, it also serves to heighten the sense of excitement, as the new car for the new team literally comes alive for the first time.

"A fire-up is always a special moment, but this one marks a new beginning,” says Mattia Binotto, Head of the Audi F1 Project.

“Seeing everything come together for the first time gives the entire project incredible energy. We have built a solid foundation for what will be a long journey, defined by our relentless drive to improve.”

The fire-up constitutes the realisation of combined efforts from the team’s powertrain division in Neuburg at the Audi Sport HQ, as well as the chassis team in Hinwil, Switzerland and the new Technical Centre in Bicester, UK.

While the power unit has previously been tested in Neuburg during the exhaustive development phases, having it successfully fire-up while actually installed in the chassis ‘validates the quality of the work and collaboration across all departments’ according to Team Principal of the Audi Revolut F1 Team, Jonathan Wheatley:

“It energises the entire team and provides a clear focus as we prepare for the next phases of development, including the moment we first bring the car to track.”

That next phase of operation is just around the corner, with the first test session in Barcelona at the end of the month, just a week after the Audi Revolut F1 Team’s official global launch event in Berlin on January 20th. 

While the initial Barcelona test session will be closed to media and public scrutiny, two further testing sessions will then take place in Bahrain (11–13 February and 18–20 February), which will not be closed to the media, allowing the public its first look at the Audi Revolut F1 Team in action ahead of its historic race debut in Melbourne in March (6 – 8) at the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026.

Learn more about Audi's preparations for its entry into Formula 1 and how you can take part in the action at the official Audi Australia Formula 1 site.