German car manufacturer Audi has competed in Formula One as a constructor and power unit manufacturer since . Their current iteration, Audi Motorsport AG, competing as Audi Revolut F1 Team, was formed through the acquisition of Sauber Motorsport, with power units developed by Audi Formula Racing GmbH.

Prior to World War II, Audi's predecessor Auto Union contested Grand Prix motor racing from 1935 to 1939. Audi announced their intention to acquire Sauber—who debuted in —and its Swiss facilities in 2022, ahead of new power unit and chassis regulations in 2026. The project expanded to a power unit facility in Bavaria and a technology centre in the "Motorsport Valley" of Oxfordshire, England.

Background Pre–World War II Grands Prix (1935–1939)

Whilst the modern Audi company has never entered Grand Prix motor racing, its predecessor company Auto Union had competed in Grand Prix racing from 1935 to 1939, prior to World War II and the inception of the Formula One World Championship in .

Auto Union was founded in 1932, during the Great Depression, as a merger of four struggling automotive firms: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. The following year, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler announced a state-sponsored motor racing programme with Mercedes-Benz. Upon request from Ferdinand Porsche, Hitler agreed that competition between two German firms would improve their chances of victory and national glory; an annual (; £ in ) prize for the most successful car between Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz was announced, eventually rising to 3,125,000 ℛℳ (£250,000; £ in ) and prompting a heated rivalry.Setright, L. J. K. "Mercedes-Benz: The German Fountain-head", in Northey, Tom, ed. World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 11, p. 1311–1312.

Across five seasons in the AIACR European Championship, Auto Union won seven Grandes Épreuves and 14 non-championship Grands Prix. Bernd Rosemeyer claimed European Drivers' Championship in 1936, driving the Type C, with victories at the German, Swiss, and Italian Grands Prix. Hermann Paul Müller—driving the Type D—unofficially won the final edition in 1939, with the title not awarded due to the onset of World War II in Europe following the invasion of Poland. Auto Union was later absorbed by Volkswagen in 1964, becoming the modern-day Audi company.

Zürich-based constructors (1993–2025)

The antecedent constructor to Audi based in Hinwil—Sauber—made its Formula One debut in , having contested sportscar racing since 1970. The team was partnered with Mercedes-Benz until , Ford until , and Ferrari (rebadged as Petronas) until , before becoming the factory team for BMW from to . Sauber claimed its highest finishes in the World Constructors' Championship with second and third in and , respectively, the former after a disqualification for McLaren and the latter including its sole victory at the with Robert Kubica. It returned as an independent constructor in with Ferrari engines, repurchased by Peter Sauber following the Great Recession and a failed shell company acquisition. A title sponsorship deal with Alfa Romeo in led to a full rebrand from to , after which it switched to support from Stake and Kick.

Constructor history Establishment (2022–2025) In August 2022, Audi announced that it would enter Formula One as a power unit manufacturer in —the planned year for a regulation overhaul. That October, Audi confirmed its rumoured partnership with Sauber, acquiring a stake in the company for a full rebrand and power unit deal. In November 2024, the Qatar Investment Authority purchased a minority stake in the team. The investment was described as a "substantial minority" stake in Sauber Holding AG, with Audi and QIA stating that the funding would support the expansion of personnel and facilities ahead of the team's planned 2026 entry.

Veteran driver Nico Hülkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto joined Sauber on separate multi-year contracts from onwards, thus becoming Audi's driver lineup upon its debut. Neel Jani was signed as a simulator driver to assist with car development. By July of that year, Sauber opened the Sauber Motorsport Technology Centre in Bicester Motion, Oxfordshire, with the aim of attracting specialised personnel to join the team in the "Motorsport Valley" region of England. The technology centre aims to complement the primary headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland, where the chassis is constructed. Audi signed a multi-year deal with British financial technology company Revolut to become the title sponsor of the team. In December 2025, the team unveiled its official Audi Revolut F1 Team name and logo, while Sauber Motorsport AG was set to be renamed Audi Motorsport AG as part of the transition.

Debut (2026)

At the team's Berlin launch in January 2026, Audi said it had begun a five-year plan aimed at challenging for championships by 2030. Audi debuted at the season-opening in with the R26, designed for new chassis and power unit regulations. Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg qualified 10th and 11th respectively. Bortoleto finished the race in 9th place, scoring Audi's first ever points in Formula One, while Hülkenberg was unable to take the start due to technical issues. Roles were reversed in China, with Bortoleto unable to start as Hülkenberg brought home a P11, after unfortunate safety car timing. The unluckiness of the safety car continued in Japan, where Hülkenberg brought home another P11, while Bortoleto settled for 13th after a poor start.

The team would not finish in the points again until the British Grand Prix, where Bortoleto finished 8th under the safety car. More points would follow for Bortoleto in Belgium, where another P8 finish would score the team their first consecutive points. Hülkenberg would score his first points of the season, finishing in P9 in another consecutive points finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. This allowed Audi to overtake Williams for 8th place in the Constructors' standings by one point.

Audi continued its scoring streak at the Dutch Grand Prix as Hülkenberg earned four points by finishing in eighth position. Bortoleto ended up finishing 13th. In the Italian Grand Prix, neither driver scored, with Bortoleto and Hülkenberg finishing in 11th and 12th respectively. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Hülkenberg earned points with a 10th place finish while Bortoleto was only able to finish 13th. Hülkenberg's performance boosted Audi's points total to 17.

Team information

Constructor personnel From its establishment, Jonathan Wheatley was the inaugural team principal of Audi. Following his departure in March 2026, project head Mattia Binotto was appointed Team Principal. James Key serves as Audi's Technical Director.

On 24 April 2026, it was announced that Allan McNish, the current Director of the Driver Development Programme, would assume the role of Racing Director, being accountable for trackside operations at a Grand Prix weekend. In addition, Mattia Binotto's title was changed to CEO and Team Principal of the team.

Driver development programme

On 23 January 2026, Audi launched their driver development programme, being led by former Formula One driver Allan McNish.

Power unit programme The Audi power unit programme will be operated by the subsidiary Audi Formula Racing GmbH, based in Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria, Germany.

Racing licence and facilities Audi competes with a German racing licence and is based at three facilities across Europe: Chassis department: former Sauber headquarters in Hinwil, Zurich, Switzerland; Technology centre: Bicester Motion in Bicester, Oxfordshire, England; Power unit department: Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria, Germany.

Complete Formula One results YearChassisEngineTyresDrivers1234567891011121314151617181920212223PointsWCC R26 AFR 26 Hybrid 1.6 V6 t AUSCHNJPNMIACANMONBCNAUTGBRBELHUNNEDITAESPAZEBHRSINUSAMXCSAPLVGQATABUrowspan="3" *rowspan="3" * Gabriel Bortoleto Nico Hülkenberg Source:

Notes * – Season still in progress.

References

External links

Audi MediaCenter – Audi Formula 1 Project