Audi makes F.1 debut at Australian GP
The brand of the four rings has more than a century of success in motorsport, but today it is relaunching its challenge in what is widely regarded as the ultimate four-wheel racing speciality
Key points
Audi makes its Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. 8 March is a historic date for the Ingolstadt brand. It is no coincidence that the first season in F1 is the beginning of a new chapter in Audi's history not only on the track, but also on the market. The protagonist in F1 is the R26, the single-seater with a hybrid power unit developed in Ingolstadt and with a sports director Mattia Binotto ex-Ferrari and two drivers the experienced Nico Hulkenberg and the young Gabriel Bortoleto.
The brand's programme in Formula 1 is long-term.
The declared goal is ambitious: to compete for world driver and constructor titles from 2030 onwards. In the 2026 championship where all teams have had to change everything Audi is a rookie. The brand's motorsport experience should help, however, as in 2012 it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a hybrid engine, the same solution that is adopted by today's RS road models. Proving that racing is a catalyst for innovation.
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The Audi power unit is rated among the highest performing
According to early rumours on the eve of the race, Audi's engineers seem to have built one of the highest performing power units on the track. The power peaks, however, are unable to indicate what the reliability value of the single-seater will be, especially this year where all of them are debutants, but there is optimism that the entire Formula 1 season includes a total of 24 GPs that will have to be tackled with only four power units at their disposal. We will already know more in Australia.
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