The biggest car news and reviews, no BS
Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.
Three colors, four rings; Audi’s first Formula 1 race car boasts a simple yet impactful design that’s bound to stand out on the grid come the 2026 F1 season. The car, christened the Audi R26, was teased on Wednesday in Munich ahead of its full livery reveal in January.
The minimalist scheme draws inspiration from the stunning Audi Concept C, revealed earlier this year. It features three hues that, despite the clear division down the (almost) middle of the car, integrate rather harmoniously with a classy color palette that includes titanium, carbon black, and a new “Audi Lava Red.”
While it may be difficult to appreciate in these photos, the carbon black is essentially a darker-colored raw carbon fiber that appears black to the naked eye. Together with the red, it envelops the heart of the car, bringing emotion despite its simple lines. From the engine cover forward, the stunning titanium color almost has a silky magnesium look and feel to it.
Jerry Perez/Audi
Besides the four rings and on the engine cover, the Lava Red can be found outlining the front wing, as well as the large air intakes on the sidepods, and the top intake above the driver’s head. When asked how different it will look when covered in sponsors, livery designer Marcos dos Santos explained to The Drive that it’ll remain just as clean and handsome, as they’ll be very strategic in the overall image of the car. Of course, the bodywork shown here isn’t the racing-spec aero kit, as that’ll remain a closely-guarded secret until the pre-season test in Barcelona.
While it isn’t the first time the automaker’s logo is displayed in red on a factory race car (instead of black or silver), the fact that Audi is leading with this new sort of brand image shows how it’s adapting to this new, bolder era.
At the reveal, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner proudly claimed that “entering Formula 1 is the next chapter in the company’s renewal.” Evidently, Ingolstadt is embracing its motorsport roots more than ever—and not just for the sake of marketing and improving sales worldwide, but also to highlight what it has accomplished since 1981, when it entered the World Rally Championship with the now-iconic Quattro rally cars. Since then, Audi has become synonymous with turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, high-performance sports cars, having won in TransAm and IMSA GTO, DTM, Formula E, the Dakar, and, of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Jerry Perez/Audi
“Motorsport is part of the Audi DNA and has always been the driving force behind technological progress and innovation,” Döllner said at the reveal. “F1 will be a catalyst for the change towards a leaner, faster and more innovative Audi. We are not entering F1 just to be there. We want to win. At the same time, we know that you don’t become a top team in F1 overnight. It takes time, perseverance and tireless questioning of the status quo. By 2030, we want to fight for the World Championship title.”
Those are fighting words, especially for a team that—much like its rookie rival Cadillac F1—has yet to turn a mile on a race track. Though if it’s any consolation, Sauber’s performance this season has been promising. Under the direction of Jonathan Wheatley, the team has achieved notable results, including a podium finish by Nico Hulkenberg at Silverstone. And while Gabriel Bortoleto endured a weekend to forget in his home race of Brazil, the rookie has also shown tremendous promise for the future.
Audi
Kick Sauber currently sits in ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship; admittedly, a bit of a slide down the order since the summer break, though most of it can be attributed to bad luck and not so much the team’s own doing. However, with 62 points heading into Vegas, the future Audi team is certainly within striking distance of 8th and possibly even 7th place by the time the season wraps up in Abu Dhabi. Haas sits eight points ahead, and Aston Martin 10 points. Perhaps it’d be too optimistic to think it could catch up to the Racing Bulls, which is 20 points ahead in sixth, but I suppose crazier things have happened.
With 115 days until its first-ever race, and a little bit less than that until pre-season testing, it’ll be all hands on deck by the team’s three offices (the current Sauber HQ in Hinwil, Switzerland, the drivetrain center in Neuburg, Germany, and the team’s technology office in Bicester, England) to get this ambitous project off the ground in a way that’ll please the automaker’s bosses who approved this massive spending.
Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com
As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive’s short- and long-term coverage.
