German manufacturer Audi, which will make its debut in Formula 1 this season after buying the Sauber team, unveiled its very first car on Tuesday and declared its ambition to “win championships by 2030”.
The car’s livery, dubbed the Audi R26, features a predominantly gray color scheme and displays the German brand’s four rings of the German brand’s logo in red on its rear wing and was designed to be “the most elegant and striking on the grid”.
Last year’s Sauber drivers, Nico Huelkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, will remain with the team in 2026 after the rebrand.
“The 2026 regulations have created the ideal moment to enter Formula 1,” said Italian Mattia Binotto, head of the project.
Jonathan Wheatley, team principal, added: “This car is the physical embodiment of thousands of hours of hard work from a group of extremely talented people at our facility.
“Today we begin this journey with immense pride, but also with humility. This is only the first day of a long campaign. Our mission is to integrate the DNA of the championship into every fiber of this team.
“A culture of resilience, precision and relentless curiosity where we stop at nothing to find performance.
“For everyone here, the excitement comes from this challenge: building a team that gets stronger with every lap, every debrief and every race. We will turn our long-term ambition into reality on track, day after day, decision after decision.”
Like the ten other F1 teams, this new car will make its track debut next week during closed-door testing on the Barcelona-Catalonia circuit.
