Audi will enter F1 in 2026 with a specially developed power unit, the first time in more than a decade that a Formula 1 power train will be built in Germany.
The project will be based at Audi Sport's facility in Neuburg near Ingolstadt, while a decision on which team they will be lining up with in 2026 will be announced by the end of this year. Initial reports suggest Audi will buy a 75% stake in Sauber.
Audi announced its entry at a press conference at Spa-Francorchamps. At the event, Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, and Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development, answered questions in the company of Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed ben Sulayem, President of the FIA.
"Motorsport is an integral part of Audi's DNA," said Markus Duesmann. "Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory. The combination of high performance and competition is always a driver of innovation and technology transfer in our industry. With the new rules, now is the right time for us to get involved. After all, Formula 1 and Audi both pursue clear sustainability goals."
The key to getting involved in F1 is the clear plan to become more sustainable and cost-efficient. The new technical rules, which will apply from 2026, focus on greater electrification and advanced sustainable fuel. In addition to the existing cap on costs for teams, a cost cap for power unit manufacturers will be introduced in 2023. In addition, Formula 1 has set itself the ambitious goal of being a carbon-neutral racing series by 2030
"In view of the major technological leaps that the series is making towards sustainability in 2026, we can speak of a new Formula 1," said Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board for Technical Development. "Formula 1 is transforming, and Audi wants to actively support this journey. A close link between our Formula 1 project and AUDI AG's Technical Development department will enable synergies."
From 2026, the electric power output for the power units, consisting of an electric motor, battery, control electronics, and a combustion engine, will increase sharply compared to today's F1 drive systems. The electric motor will then be nearly as powerful as the combustion engine, which has an output of about 400 kW (544 hp). The highly efficient 1.6-liter turbo engines run on advanced sustainable fuel - also a prerequisite for Audi's entry into the series.
The power unit will be built at Audi Sport's state-of-the-art Competence Center Motorsport in Neuburg an der Donau, not far from AUDI AG's company headquarters in Ingolstadt.
"For the development and manufacture of the Formula 1 power train, we will build on the valuable expertise of our motorsport employees, continue to invest in our motorsports center, and also recruit highly specialized professionals," said Audi Sport Managing Director, Julius Seebach, who organized the entry into Formula 1 as part of Audi's realignment of motorsport.
In Neuburg there are already test benches for F1 engine testing as well as for electric motor and battery testing. Additional necessary preparations are currently being made in terms of personnel, buildings, and technical infrastructure, with everything essential to be in place by the end of the year. A separate company was recently founded for the power unit project as a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi Sport. Adam Baker will take over the management of the company and thus the Formula 1 project as CEO. The trained engineer has held various senior positions for manufacturers and teams in motorsport. Before joining Audi in 2021, he worked for the FIA for three years.
Audi Sport is pooling its strengths for the Formula 1 project and as a consequence is discontinuing its LMDh project. The motorsport division had recently suspended the development of the sports car for endurance racing. Alongside customer racing, Audi Sport will continue its innovation project with the RS-Q e-tron in the Dakar Rally. Next year, Audi's aim is overall victory in the desert.
Whether the World Rally Championship, World Sportscar Championship, US motorsport, DTM, Le Mans, or Formula E - Audi Sport has set standards in many categories with numerous titles. "Formula 1 is the next major milestone in Audi's motorsport history," said Julius Seebach.
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