‘Racing is in the DNA’: Audi to join Formula One from 2026 season

Audi has announced it is to make its debut in Formula One in 2026. The German marque announced it will join the sport as an engine manufacturer and is expected to strike a partnership with the Sauber team, currently running under the Alfa Romeo name and for whom it will provide full factory backing.

The FIA confirmed the new power unit regulations set to come into play in 2026 last week and Audi, who had been long expected to enter the sport, confirmed their decision at Spa-Francorchamps before this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. It is the first major step into F1 for parent company the Volkswagen group who also own Porsche, who are expected to also join the grid in 2026 in a partnership with Red Bull.

F1 is enjoying a surge in popularity and had been actively attempting to encourage new manufacturers to enter the sport when considering its next set of engine regulations. “Racing is in the DNA of Audi. If you think about Le Mans, DTM and Formula E, we have always been very active and very successful,” said Markus Duesmann, chairman of the Audi board. “We want to continue this success story in F1.”

Duesmann emphasised the increased role electrical elements in the power units would play and the intent to run the engines on fully sustainable fuels as key in the marque’s decision-making process. The engines will be manufactured at their Neuburg base in Germany, led by Adam Baker. The company said it would formally announce the team with whom it will partner before the end of the year.

Audi had previously placed a central focus of its racing activities in sports cars, enjoying enormous success at the Le Mans 24 Hours where it has taken victory 13 times.

“I am delighted to welcome Audi to Formula One, an iconic automotive