There was a lot pleasure and anticipation surrounding the addition of an eleventh workforce to F1 within the type of Cadillac that it is no marvel Audi feels a bit ignored.
It was greater than three years in the past that Audi introduced its entry into F1, and it was not till late 2022 that Sauber confirmed it could be a companion within the new enterprise. A very new energy unit division was established on the Neuburg an der Donau facility in southern Germany, culminating within the completion of the whole acquisition of Sauber.
Contemplating the evolution of what has been a massively spectacular F1 constructor for over 30 years, Audi most likely hasn’t captured the creativeness as a lot as Cadillac’s growth workforce, however it hasn’t significantly tried to both.
Whereas Audi has introduced investments from Qatar and partnerships within the type of sponsors Revolt and Adidas, it wasn’t till Could that Cadillac made a fuss in Miami to unveil its brand and identification.
In Munich in mid-November, it was lastly Audi’s flip.
The timing was no coincidence, as Audi did not really feel the necessity to make an enormous tune and dance till it was actively on the grid. However with solely the ultimate three races of 2025 remaining earlier than consideration shifts to the brand new period, it is positively time for the German producer to make headlines as the ultimate race of the season approaches. And through a fast go to to the Audi Model Expertise Heart on Wednesday, two key themes stood out.
One is the historical past of the model. The idea livery of the R26 mannequin, used to show the important thing colours that create Audi’s picture in F1, might have been supposed to disclose its 2026 identification, however it was a powerful reminder that elite-level motorsport has lengthy been a part of the corporate.
The Auto Union Kind C was the primary automotive to look forward of the arrival of key figures together with Audi CEO Gernot Dorner, Audi F1 venture director Mattia Binotto and workforce boss Jonathan Wheatley, who have been dropped off in Audi’s iconic automotive.
Drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortleto, who additionally served as passengers within the iconic Audi Quattro rally automotive, have been joined by legendary former drivers similar to Tom Christensen, Hans-Joachim Caught, Michel Mouton and Allan McNish.
They might not all be in F1, however they’re revered as pioneers or benchmarks of their respective classes. And that is one thing Audi can declare with its automobiles that gained championships throughout the Group B period of rallying and the primary diesel-powered victory at Le Mans with the R10 TDI. The Audi RS Q e-tron additionally grew to become the primary electrical drivetrain to win the Dakar in 2024, becoming a member of the listing of know-how pioneers who’ve introduced success to Audi in motorsport.
“I’m a automotive man,” Wheatley says. “The second I used to be approached about the potential for becoming a member of the Audi F1 venture, I do not know, however I felt like one thing inside me was drawn to it. I did not really feel like I used to be leaving someplace to come back right here.”
“I spent years these automobiles. I am speaking about Quattros within the woods with flames popping out of the exhaust, and in order for you one thing to get you enthusiastic about as a child, that is it.”
“The know-how that Audi has used to realize success in motorsport has been extraordinary, and the enchantment is what makes this venture so thrilling. What are we going to do in a different way? What are we going to do uniquely? How will we obtain our objectives in a novel approach?
“I am very, very wanting ahead to that journey and I am very, very excited. It feels prefer it’s truly occurring now. It is taken a while, however quickly we’ll be an Audi F1 workforce.”
There was loads of speak about this journey, however because the model’s historical past was established and Audi supplied the premise for uplifting confidence in its trendy motorsport enterprise, it additionally put an actual give attention to what lies forward.
A big countdown clock highlighted that there have been (on the time) 115 days, 09 hours, quarter-hour and 29 seconds left till lights out for the 2026 season in Australia, and probably the most public begin of Audi’s F1 story. However 4 years later, an even bigger and extra spectacular purpose was set for the workforce: to battle for the world championship beginning in 2030.
It is a purpose that Binotto describes as “bold, as a result of we’re bold,” however Dorner additionally says its roots lie up to now successes of different new Audi motorsport tasks.
“We’re most likely the least directionally centered workforce proper now as a result of there’s a lot new stuff coming collectively on this venture,” admits Dorner. “It is a new workforce and the workforce is within the start-up section. So subsequent 12 months specifically goes to be very tough. However like we mentioned, we’ve long-term plans. It is going to be our job to be taught quick, adapt and see how issues go.”
“We did some benchmarking, we had some expertise with different racing collection, and we discovered the four-year interval to be fairly bold however lifelike. So, that was the start line.”
“We’ve a three-stage mannequin. We begin as a challenger, then we need to grow to be a competitor, and from 2030 we’ll compete for victory within the third stage.”
This was repeated many occasions all through the night time, and Audi was eager to point out it understood the challenges forward, pointing to the string of four-wheeler wins that started that night time as proof it may deal with these challenges successfully.
It is a courageous transfer to attract the road so early within the workforce’s historical past, however there are examples that show Audi has expertise in sticking to its objectives. Lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} may have been allotted to enhance Sauber’s infrastructure and services, however taking on the prevailing workforce on the chassis aspect would additionally assist speed up that timeline.
F1 could be very totally different from the class during which it has been profitable up to now, however Audi actually has a observe file that implies it could actually a minimum of tame it.
