Audi join F1 at a crucial moment in the history of the sport, with a new technical regulations overhaul looking to shake up the grid. Cadillac will also be joining as the 11th team on the grid.

The German manufacturer will maintain the line-up of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, a line-up which has been relatively competitive under Sauber throughout this season. How will Audi perform in their debut season next year? - Let's see what our editor's have to say.

We should not read anything into the Audi launch in Munich - or should we? On the one hand, it was a surprise to hold a concept launch at this stage of the season. Teams are at the end of a gruelling season and presumably could have done without the added commitment. But it's only a concept launch - something that car brands love to do to stir a bit of interest. And that is perhaps the point. After all, there were no logos on the car of the team’s partners, just Audi’s logo and colour scheme.

Perhaps the biggest take away, aside from the bold livery, is that this event - slap bang in the middle of a bunch of flyaway races - is reflective of Audi’s approach to motorsport. During their time in DTM and WEC, the German brand had focused on doing this their way. And with the sole purpose of beating the competition. Audi are not afraid to go against the grain. Upset the establishment. And make the show about them. It is a powerful stance, a complete contrast to the meek Sauber brand that it will inherit in January. These are exciting times for F1. Audi aren’t coming to make up the numbers but to upset the way things are done.  

With the foundations already laid down by Sauber, Audi does look poised to come into the sport with a good amount of knowledge and experience. However, it would be naive to expect the team to come into the sport and be competitive at the front of the field immediately. Instead, perhaps the focus should simply be about outperforming Cadillac.

Audi have many important ingredients for success, a strong Team Principal in Jonathan Wheatley, an experienced Mattia Binotto as Head of the project, a calculated Nico Hulkenberg and a young, fast, Gabriel Bortoleto - Audi are looking strong.

It is also important to remember that Audi sacrificed their successful sportscar program to focus on this F1 project. The German manufacturer clearly remains confident in their F1 efforts, and the Sauber team has taken huge steps in 2025, even delivering Hulkenberg his first podium. With the team confident and Sauber making strides, Audi will come into 2026 with a lot of excitement around them.

It’s hard to know where Audi’s 2026 power unit will rank compared to the established manufacturers. What we know is that they have the strong foundation to succeed. There is team boss Jonathan Wheatley, who has experience achieving success in Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing.

The team also has a great driver line-up. Nico Hülkenberg brings vast experience, while Gabriel Bortoleto is one of the best young drivers in the field, and he is backed by champions such as Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.

The team has improved significantly compared to 2024 already by this year, and it looks like the team has all the key ingredients in terms personnel. Now it’s only a matter of waiting to see how the 2026 car will perform.

Unlike Cadillac, which will need time to get to grips with a completely new team, structure, and way of working both on and off the track, Audi will already be able to rely heavily on the technical and human know-how it’s inheriting from Sauber (Stake) in just over a month.

The Swiss outfit is already enjoying a positive season given the expectations, and with two highly experienced figures like Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto leading the team — plus a fast, proven driver line-up — all the ingredients are there for Audi to avoid being the backmarker of the grid, and perhaps even to challenge far more established teams.

Starting from a blank sheet will naturally benefit the German outfit as well, giving Audi the chance to build everything from scratch just like everyone else — with all the risks and rewards that come with it.

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