This Is Audi's First Ever Formula 1 Car

Audi has taken another visible step toward its long-awaited Formula 1 debut, confirming the livery it will carry into its first season on the grid. Revealed at the brand’s 2026 season launch in Berlin, the car adopts a familiar Audi palette of silver, black, and red as the company prepares to race under its own name following the takeover of the Sauber operation.

The debut machine, known internally as the R26, wears a predominantly silver body with a black engine cover and red accents beneath, while title sponsor Revolut is prominently integrated into the design. The look is intentionally conservative, leaning on Audi’s motorsport heritage rather than attempting to make a dramatic visual statement in its first year.

Audi formally announced its Formula 1 ambitions in 2022 and has steadily increased its investment and staffing since then. Former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto joined the project in 2024 and now leads Audi’s F1 effort, overseeing both the chassis program and the company’s in-house power unit development.

Speaking at the launch, Binotto described the early phases of the program as stable, crediting Audi’s internal backing for keeping the project on course. He pointed to consistent support from the board and a clear mandate as essential factors as the team builds toward its first competitive season.

Audi’s timing is ambitious. Its debut coincides with one of the most sweeping regulation changes Formula 1 has seen in decades. For 2026, cars will be smaller and lighter, while the power units will place far greater emphasis on electrification, with electrical output accounting for roughly half of total power alongside a revised internal combustion engine.

Technical director James Key said the immediate focus is not on outright performance but on gathering data and establishing reliability. Audi has already completed a limited filming day run earlier this month, but the first meaningful running will come at the initial pre-season test in Barcelona from January 26 to 30. Additional test sessions in Bahrain will follow in February before the season opens in Melbourne in early March.

Key noted that, for Audi’s engine operation in Neuburg, real-world track data is especially critical. Until now, most development work has taken place on simulators and dynos.

Audi will field Nico Hülkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in its first season, pairing experience with a long-term development outlook. How competitive the R26 will be remains an open question, but the Berlin launch made one thing clear: Audi is treating its Formula 1 return as a foundational project, not a short-term experiment.

This article was co-written using AI and was then heavily edited and optimized by our editorial team.

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