First look at Audi’s grand prix car ahead of its championship debut in March 2026
The Audi R26 Concept has been revealed as a first look at the brand’s Formula 1 racer for the 2026 season.
Created by head designer Massimo Frascella and described as a “clear statement” of Audi’s new brand identity, the R26 joins the road-going Concept C sports coupé in adopting a minimalist look.
Its livery comprises simple geometric shapes and just three colours: silver, black and the red that has become synonymous with Audi’s racing endeavours, which will also be used for the brand’s four-ringed logo.
Audi has described its entry into F1 as a “strategic flagship”, highlighting the marketing value of the sport – it had 1.6 billion television viewers last year – and the opportunity for road car development offered by a forthcoming change in its technical regulations.
From 2026, F1 cars will be propelled by an equal split of combustion and electric power, rather than the current 85:15 ratio, tripling the amount of power generated by the cars’ electric motors. That, it is suggested, will provide invaluable knowledge in developing the next generation of hybrid and battery-electric drivetrains for road cars.
To that end, Audi is developing its own engine in-house, rather than purchasing a unit from Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Honda or Mercedes. Audi’s powerplant and its gearbox are being worked on in Neuburg an der Donau, a town near its headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany.
All the new engines will run on sustainable fuels, and the cars are set to be 30kg lighter than this year’s entries.
But Audi claims it isn’t entering F1 solely for brand exposure or to develop its road cars. “We want to win,” CEO Gernot Döllner said in a statement. “By 2030, we want to fight for the World Championship title.”
Audi’s F1 cars will be built at and run out of Hinwil, Switzerland, home to the long-established Sauber team. Audi purchased Sauber outright in January and has since opened an additional R&D centre in Bicester, England. This will allow it to tap the abundance of motorsport talent in the UK’s so-called Motorsport Valley, which also hosts the Alpine, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Red Bull and Williams teams.
Audi’s F1 project is being overseen by Mattia Binotto, previously the team principal of Ferrari, while Jonathan Wheatley, formerly Red Bull’s sporting director, assumes team principal duties.
For 2026, Audi will retain Sauber’s current driver line-up of German veteran Nico Hülkenberg and Brazilian youngster Gabriel Bortoleto.
Audi will launch its team in full at an event in January, and its car will hit the track for the first time at pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on 26 January.
Binotto said: “Mistakes will happen, but learning from them is what drives transformation. That’s why we follow a three-phased approach: starting as a challenger with the ambition to grow, evolving into a competitor by daring the status quo and achieving first successes, and ultimately becoming a champion.”
