Audi’s motorsport heritage is deeply rooted in the company’s history. As early as the 1930s, Auto Union’s Silver Arrows dominated Grand Prix racing. Later, Audi made rallying history with its legendary quattro drive system, dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans with diesel and hybrid technology, and entered Formula E with electric innovation. For Audi, motorsport has always been more than just competition. It has been a laboratory, a testing ground, and an expression of technical vision.

Now Audi is opening a new chapter. Its entry into Formula 1 catapults its long motorsport tradition into a whole new dimension. With this step, Audi is deliberately bidding farewell to other racing series in order to concentrate on the premier class – a stage that has long since become synonymous with technological innovation. This is where Audi wants to actively shape the future.

At the Audi Brand Experience Center in Munich, the company presented the R26 Concept, offering a first glimpse of the Formula 1 race car that will take to the track in January 2026. Chief Creative Officer Massimo Frascella describes the project as a signpost for a new brand identity that focuses on clarity, precision, and emotionality.

The design of the R26 Concept exudes minimalism and dynamism. The combination of titanium, carbon black, and the new Audi Lava Red color gives the car a powerful presence, while the red Audi rings will serve as a subtle yet striking signature in the future. Particularly striking is the diagonal color separation along the side line, which inevitably draws the eye to the rear and the power unit—a visual symbol of focus on the essentials: performance, technology, and speed. The car is still without sponsor logos. It is precisely this reduced form that makes it clear where the brand’s aesthetics are heading—clear, pure, and focused.

Formula 1 has global significance today. Over 1.6 billion people follow the races, while new rules from 2026 onwards will redefine the fundamentals of the sport. Hybrid drives, sustainable fuels, and more efficient systems are opening up scope for innovation. Audi is seizing this opportunity to build a new factory team and develop an unmistakable technological signature.

The factory team, which is being built on the basis of the Sauber Group, combines expertise from various disciplines. The power unit is being developed in Neuburg an der Donau, right next to Audi’s test track, where modern hybrid technology, digital development processes, and efficient energy use come together.

“Our entry into Formula 1 is part of something bigger. It is the next step in the realignment of the company with the aim of strengthening our position in global competition. In Formula 1, every second counts. Success requires performance, precision, and teamwork.”

Audi-CEO Gernot Döllner

For Döllner, Formula 1 is more than just a sporting arena. It should be a source of inspiration, a catalyst for change. Thinking in fractions of a second will shape corporate culture and set new standards for speed, agility, and innovative strength.

Formula 1 thus becomes a mirror of the brand. The design clarity of the R26 Concept is not an end in itself, but rather an expression of a new way of thinking: precision, transparency, and function as part of a holistic strategy. For Audi, the move into the premier class marks the transition from the past to the future. Decades of experience in motorsport meet new technologies, aesthetics, and performance. The R26 Concept already shows where the journey is headed. From 2026, the racetrack will provide the ultimate stage for the realization of this vision.