Audi officially made its Formula 1 race debut at the 2026 season opener in Melbourne. The event marks the first time the German manufacturer has entered F1 as a full works constructor.
- The debut came after a multi-year build-up that began with Audi announcing its F1 entry in 2022.
- The team is based on the former Sauber operation in Hinwil, Switzerland, which Audi acquired and transformed into a works team.
- The Melbourne race marks the beginning of Audi’s first full season in the championship.
This is a major milestone because Audi has historically competed in other disciplines (Le Mans, Rally, DTM) but had never previously competed in modern F1.
Audi Revolut F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto unveiled the new Audi RS 5 at the Albert Park Circuit.
On Thursday, Audi F1 drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto unveiled the new Audi RS5 at Albert Park Circuit. This car marks a bold new era for Audi, as it’s the first RS model with a hybrid drive, which parallels the F1 R26’s power-train output being almost 50% hybrid.
FP1 showed the Audis still in the fine tuning stages, with Nico Hülkenberg finishing tenth (+1.702s), just behind Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth (+1.429s) for the first session. In the afternoon, the team continued to gather info, however finishing slightly further down, with Nico in twelfth position (+1.622s) and Gabriel fourteenth (+1.939s).
We’re looking forward to seeing how Audi progress this season!
Photo Credits: Audi
