Audi will enter Formula One under new engine rules, partnering with an existing team. The engine will be built in Germany, and the goal is to be competitive within three years. There will be no additional funding for the motorsport program.
Audi announced on Friday that it will enter Formula One in 2026 with one of the sport’s existing teams and a new power unit built in Germany.
The Volkswagen-owned premium brand said it would reveal which team it would be partnering with by the end of the year, ushering in a new and more sustainable era for the sport.
According to Reuters and other media, the marque has been in talks with the Swiss-based Sauber Group, whose team competes under the Alfa Romeo name.
Aston Martin and Williams, both of which use Mercedes engines, have expressed interest in collaborating with Audi.
“Formula One is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory,” said Audi chairman Markus Duesmann at a press conference at Spa-Francorchamps.
“In our industry, the combination of high performance and competition is always a driver of innovation and technology transfer. With the new rules in place, now is the time for us to get involved.”
From 2026, Formula One will use a new power unit with a focus on sustainability and a more cost-effective future. The Liberty Media-owned sport has set a carbon-neutral target for 2030.
The new rules will also result in increased electrification and the use of advanced sustainable fuel, with power unit manufacturers subject to a cost cap beginning next season.
“We have decided to be a fully electric car manufacturer, and F1 has changed the rules so that we can enter,” Duesmann, who previously worked in Formula One with BMW when it owned Sauber, told reporters.
Audi’s powertrain operations will be based in Neuburg a der Donau, close to the company’s headquarters in Ingolstadt, with a separate Audi Sport subsidiary established for the project.
The Formula One project will be led by Adam Baker, a motorsport veteran and former employee of motorsport’s governing body, the FIA.
Mercedes, which has won the last eight constructors’ championships, builds their power unit in Brixworth, central England, with a team factory nearby in Brackley.
Porsche, another Volkswagen Group brand, is expected to join Formula One in 2026 in collaboration with current champions Red Bull.
Audi won the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race 13 times before retiring in 2017, and the marque has a history dating back to pre-World War II grand Prix racing as Auto Union.
It will continue to compete in Saudi Arabia’s annual Dakar Rally with an electric prototype as well as customer racing with GT cars.
Audi did not specify the costs of entering Formula One or how much money had been set aside but stated that the commitment did not have to be profitable.
“We will spend the same amount of money as we did for the other racing series before, so it is not an additional spend for us,” Duesmann said, adding that the plan was for a long-term engagement.
When asked about the likely future partner, he added, “There’s a high likelihood of having an Audi powertrain in an existing car.”
“We will not form an entirely new team. It’s far better to start with an existing vehicle.”
According to Duesmann, the plan is to be “very competitive” within the first three years.
