Audi F1 team launch debut livery as title countdown starts

The Audi Formula One team showed off their debut livery on Tuesday to set the clock ticking on a five-year plan to challenge for championships by 2030.

Bosses spoke also of the need for hard work and humility at the Swiss-based outfit that previously competed as Sauber and finished ninth of 10 teams in their last season under that name.

"We are just at the beginning of our journey, it's a starting point," project head Mattia Binotto told guests in the Kraftwerk Berlin former power station launch venue as fans watched online worldwide.

"We are conscious that there are a lot of challenges ahead of us but... we are ready for it, we are ready to face that challenge, we are ready to grow, to build and to continue to learn."

Highlights of the R26 launch ⬇️❤️#audif1 pic.twitter.com/Zwk5YVnaD6
— Audi F1 Racing Team (@audi_f1stars) January 20, 2026

Team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who had plenty of success working for Red Bull previously, said the launch was a statement of intent.

"We're not here to mess around," the Briton said confidently.

"We know where we're starting from but we know where we want to go and we want to get this team ready, we want Audi Formula One team to be the most successful Formula One team in history but we have to start where we are."

Five-year plans have not always played out well in Formula One, with Renault-owned Alpine finishing last in 2025 – four years after setting out an ambitious 100-race pathway back to the top.

Others, such as reigning champions McLaren, have turned things around in rapid time.

Another angle 👋🏼⬇️ R26 #audif1 pic.twitter.com/wrzpkzW1RB
— Audi F1 Racing Team (@audi_f1stars) January 20, 2026

Audi are making their own engine, exclusive to their titanium and red R26 car, but face established opponents in the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes who between them supply seven of the 11 teams.

The season marks a watershed as the start of a new engine and aerodynamic era for the sport, with all teams going into private testing next week with big question marks over their reliability and performance.

There have been suggestions that Red Bull and Mercedes may have a power advantage by exploiting the rules on engine materials and compression ratios.

Experienced German Nico Hulkenberg and young Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto form an unchanged line-up from Sauber last season and both were eager to get started in their new uniform.

"We're very aligned. Positive, healthy atmosphere. We get along really well. It's going to be fun," said Hulkenberg, who will be starting his 251st race in Australia on March 8.

"Obviously this is only the starting point. But where will we be in five years and what will have happened between now and then?

"That's obviously the very important and meaningful stuff. But I think we have all the right ingredients."