Last week in Munich, Audi did what they’ve been building toward since 2022.
They finally pulled back the curtain on what their first Formula 1 car will look like, and I’ll be honest with you, as a member of Delta Sigma Theta (shameless plug), and someone who got to see it up close and personal, the color scheme alone had me sold. Titanium, carbon black, and that signature Audi red coming together on what they’re calling the R26 Concept, is a look.
The German brand announced back in 2022 they were entering F1 in 2026, and since then they’ve been building infrastructure to make it happen. They’ve invested heavily across multiple countries — Germany, where Audi’s Neuburg facility is developing the new power unit; Switzerland, where the Sauber team they acquired earlier this year is based; and the UK, where Audi is opening a new Technology Centre in Bicester in summer 2025 to tap into the motorsport talent pool there. It’s a lot of investment for a brand that’s already proven itself in other racing series.
Marco dos Santos, who helped shape the visual identity of the project, walked us through the livery design choices during the reveal, and listening to him was one of the more interesting parts of the reveal. He talked about working with the car’s natural curves and how they decided to “counter those with the polar opposite, with these three cuts” to create contrast. The color palette has meaning too. The titanium “taps into the engineering nature of the project,” and then there’s what he calls Audi Lava Red, which is “super vibrant, super distinctive.” When someone asked how close this concept is to what we’ll actually see on the grid, Marco didn’t hesitate: “the livery is very close.” The goal is to have the most striking car on the race track in 2026, and honestly, they might get there.
And in case you were wondering, there’s a reason Audi chose 2026 specifically. 2026 brings major rule changes to Formula 1, so every team will be dealing with new requirements at the same time. Audi’s betting that jumping in when the regulations reset gives them a better shot than trying to catch up to teams who’ve been running under the current rules for years.
Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are confirmed as drivers for Audi’s 2026 debut season, with Jonathan Wheatley as team principal and Mattia Binotto (Ferrari’s former team principal) running the F1 operation, and they were all on site at the reveal in Munich.
That level of leadership raises an obvious question: why bother? Audi didn’t need to do this. They’ve won at Le Mans multiple times, dominated rally racing, proven themselves in basically every other motorsport category. But they’re entering Formula 1 anyway, spending money on facilities and hiring people who know the sport inside out. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner made the ambition clear, “We are not entering Formula 1 just to be there. We want to win.” And from what we saw in Munich, they get that F1 is as much about how you look as how fast you go.
They’re not coming in without backing either. The team already has partnerships locked in with adidas (which was announced just a few months ago), bp, and Revolut as title partner. That’s serious money and serious commitment.
The 2026 season feels like it’s forever away but it’s really just around the corner (the season opener in Melbourne is March 6-8, and will be here before you know it!). New technical regulations are coming, a legacy brand is entering the sport, and if this design reveal tells us anything, Formula 1 is about to get more interesting. And I’m here for it!