Audi has revealed a new Formula 1 concept livery teasing its first car design in 2026 at an event in Munich.
The German manufacturer officially enters F1 for the first time next year, when Sauber – the team it completed its full takeover of this year – will be formally rebranded.
The reveal of the Audi R26 Concept on Wednesday night comes just over two months away from its first F1 car running on-track for the first time in a behind-closed-doors collective test with the other 10 teams at Barcelona, before official pre-season testing begins in public.
Audi will rebrand its F1 team on January 1 and launch the real R26 later that month.
Its aim is to have “the most striking car on the grid,” Audi chief creative officer Massimo Frascella said, and be “the most daring brand off the track”.
Audi recently launched the Concept C with an all-titanium finish, which is a new brand identity that will be rolled out for future models.
This colour scheme also has a nod to Audi’s motorsport history given part of the inspiration is the Auto Union Type C, part of the ultra-successful run of models raced by Auto Union, which was an amalgamation of four manufacturers including Audi and is modern Audi’s immediate predecessor.
Audi calls the R26 Concept a preview of the colour scheme and design of its first F1 car, with the ties to the Concept C in the front half of the design then the carbon black and a new Audi red on the back half of the car.
That red will also be used “selectively” as the colour for the famous Audi rings.
There is no branding for title partner Revolut, fuel partner bp, or teamwear supplier Adidas – and no hint of anything to do with the Qatar Investment Authority, which Audi agreed the sale of a significant minority shareholding to last year.
The purpose of this concept and reveal is to put the Audi brand front and centre, and tie the F1 team’s identity to what the company intends to do with its road cars moving forward.
“Design is and has always been an integral part of Audi’s DNA,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told select media including The Race.
“And maybe one of the most important ingredients to the brand.
“We have a very, very strong legacy with the Concept C. We gave a glimpse on how the future of Audi design will evolve.
“And we also want to bring that Audi DNA to Formula 1. So this is a very special day for us.
“After the Concept C, the Formula 1 car will be the second one of our radical next design philosophies.”
