Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026, it announced Aug. 26.
It will begin supplying power units, with the company’s program based in Neuberg, Germany.
The news comes after F1’s new engine regulations were announced to go into effect the same year.
“Motorsport is an integral part of Audi’s DNA,” Markus Duesmann, chairman of Audi’s board of management, said in a release. “Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory. The combination of high performance and competition is always a driver of innovation and technology transfer in our industry.
“With the new rules, now is the right time for us to get involved. After all, Formula 1 and Audi both pursue clear sustainability goals.”
Audi does not yet have a specific agreement with an existing team, and it’s not yet known if it will outright buy one of those organizations or simply partner with one.
Some reports have Audi partnering with Sauber F1 Team, which will separate from Alfa Romeo by the end of 2023.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.