The Audi Revolut F1 Team unveiled its first F1 car in Berlin on Tuesday. While it wasn’t a shock to see that the team’s race livery was just the blank concept revealed in November with added sponsor logos, it was surprising that the team has a concrete long-term goal. The new factory team stated it wants to contend for the world championship by 2030. Five-year plans aren’t uncommon for F1 teams. However, they rarely ever succeed.
The launch event took place at Kraftwerk, Berlin’s iconic disused powerplant-turned-nightclub-turned-event space. Before all the attendees were funnelled up a flight of stairs into the space where the car would be revealed, there was a brief introductory interview with Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. After laying out that the automaker’s motorsport history and drive to innovate were primary factors in its decision to enter Formula 1, Döllner said:
“We brought together teams from Switzerland, Germany and the UK. And, we work closely with our partners, with strong partners like Revolut. We all share one clear vision to compete at the highest level and to fight for championships by 2030.”
Yet another five-year plan in F1
Audi’s sports prototypes dominated endurance racing at the start of the 21st century, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans 13 times in 15 years. While the German manufacturer is no stranger to success in racing, it will be a tall order to expect Audi to be at the front of the field by 2030. The venerable Sauber team it acquired has never won a championship after 32 seasons in F1. Sauber has only one race victory on its record, the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix with Robert Kubica, when the outfit was the BMW factory team.
I understand why Audi has a five-year plan to conquer F1. It sets a quantifiable goal that can be observed by the company’s board and other decision makers, but it doesn’t account for the slow yet unpredictable tides of international motorsport. Both Alpine and Aston Martin set five-year targets in 2020, and neither team has come close to winning a championship. Only three teams have won the World Drivers’ Championship over the past 15 seasons: Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. While every team hopes the new regulations for 2026 will lean in their favor, it’s unlikely that a team at the back can upset the apple cart like McLaren has in recent years.
