Audi is a Formula 1 factory team this year. Not a title sponsor. Not a customer engine. The R26 is built in Hinwil. The power unit comes from Audi Formula Racing in Neuburg. Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are in the seats. The next race Audi lists is Italy on 6 September 2026.
This is the point of the factory effort
Gernot Döllner has called the entry “part of something bigger.” The public case is the cost cap, plus the fact that F1 still pulls crowds in the United States, Europe, and China. Mattia Binotto, running the team, has said the fight for championships is a 2030 job, not a 2026 one.
The rulebook they signed
The 2026 formula is the reason the timing made sense on paper. The electric motor is listed up to 350 kW. The 1.6 V6 turbo is still around 400 kW. Fuel has to be sustainable. Boost mode takes over from DRS for overtaking. The team was unveiled in Berlin as Audi Revolut F1 Team before the season started.
Sources: Audi Formula 1; Döllner on the F1 entry; Berlin unveil.