In the political melee that resulted in Cadillac joining F1 without Michael Andretti as the championship’s 11th team, it was easy to forget that Audi also joined the grid for 2026 by acquiring Sauber. The debuting factory team unveiled a preview of its race livery on Wednesday. Along with the reveal, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner publicly set the ambitious goal that the team will contend for the championship by 2030.
The reveal was more of a statement of intent than anything else. Nothing viewed was in the final form that fans would see during next year’s season opener in Australia. The R26 Concept was just that, a concept. The actual car is slated to be launched in January, and the car’s minimalist livery will be covered in sponsor logos. The preview livery itself is a sleek combination of titanium, black and a vivid shade of red that will be splashed across all of Audi’s corporate branding. While the paint scheme is futuristic, it also harkens back to Audi’s previous race-winning machinery, from its dominant Le Mans prototypes to Auto Union’s Grand Prix cars. Massimo Frascella, Audi’s Chief Creative Officer, said in a release:
“We are implementing a unifying design language that draws together every aspect of our organization. This makes the Formula 1 project a pioneer for the new brand identity, which will be rolled out in the future both for the F1 team and Audi as a whole.”
Audi wants to be a contender by 2030
It’s safe to say that Audi has plenty of room for improvement based on where Sauber currently stands in the competitive order. The Swiss outfit is 9th in the World Constructors’ Championship with three rounds left in the season. However, Audi management aims to be among the top in five seasons, and the automaker has been developing its 2026 power unit since 2022. Döllner said:
“We are not entering Formula 1 just to be there. We want to win. At the same time, we know that you don’t become a top team in Formula 1 overnight. It takes time, perseverance and tireless questioning of the status quo. By 2030, we want to fight for the World Championship title.”
The competitive order in F1 tends to shift at a glacial pace with a handful of notable exceptions. Next year, the massive regulations change is one of those exceptions. Brawn GP famously won the 2009 championship after Honda withdrew from the sport during the global financial crisis and sold the team to team principal Ross Brawn for a single British pound. Honda had finished 9th in the previous season and hoped to leap up the order by taking advantage of a huge rules change. Could Audi do the same? I don’t know.
