Audi seeks clarity from FIA: 'We are in the dark'

The year 2026 seems far away, but for Audi it feels like tomorrow. That year, the German car brand will make its entrance into Formula 1 with - currently - Sauber, and is meanwhile working hard on the power unit that will be entered. The German outlet Bild was allowed to take a look at Audi's Motorsport Competence Centre in Neuburg an der Donau (Bavaria).

At the entrance, the journalist immediately noticed how many trophies and historic Audi cars are on display. There, Adam Baker, head of Audi's F1 project, expressed the hope that in the near future Formula 1 will also feature prominently in this space. But first a long road awaits, Baker is well aware.

Waiting until mid-2024

He explained: "So it was all the more important that when the power unit regulations were approved last summer, we could start development straight away. It gets trickier with the technical regulations for the chassis. We like to measure the performance of the power unit via laps in the simulator. The chassis and power unit together are decisive here. Unfortunately, we are still in the dark (about the chassis) until the first draft in the summer and the final regulations are shared by the FIA in mid-2024. But there are plenty of other things to do until then."

Audi, meanwhile, is busy expanding its organisation. In the meantime, 240 people have already been recruited. Two hundred come over from Audi Sport, the 40 others have been recruited externally. Big steps are also being made in terms of infrastructure. A new three thousand square metre building will be built, housing, among other things, the mission control room.