The automaker will enter F1 by 2026 but has not yet announced which team it will align with.
The months-long rumors and reports have finally been confirmed: Audi is coming to Formula 1.
Audi made the announcement at a press conference in Spa-Francorchamps, leading into Sunday’s F1 Belgian Grand Prix, and added that it will announce which of the 10 teams it will align with by the end of the year. The automaker will officially join in 2026 when it will develop a special hybrid power unit to comply with upcoming technical rules that will focus on greater electrification and more sustainable fuel.
“Motorsport is an integral part of Audi’s DNA,” said Markus Duesmann, the chairman of Audi AG’s board of management. “Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory. The combination of high performance and competition is always a driver of innovation and technology transfer in our industry. With the new rules, now is the right time for us to get involved. After all, Formula 1 and Audi both pursue clear sustainability goals.”
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Audi Sport’s German facility in Neuburg will house the project as F1 begins to transform its super-powered cars into electric vehicles. By 2026, Audi said, electric power output for the cars’ power units will greatly increase to the point where it will be nearly as powerful as today’s combustion engines.
“In view of the major technological leaps that the series is making towards sustainability in 2026, we can speak of a new Formula 1,” said Oliver Hoffmann, a member of Audi’s board for technical development. “Formula 1 is transforming, and Audi wants to actively support this journey. A close link between our Formula 1 project and Audi AG’s Technical Development department will enable synergies.”
Though there are rumors that Audi could take over Alfa Romeo‘s Sauber team while Porsche goes into business with Red Bull, nothing is close to official as of yet. Suffice it to say that F1 silly season in 2022 isn’t confined to just drivers, and Audi’s entry into F1 will only accelerate the sport’s rapid worldwide growth.
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