Fun fact: Audi Sport has been using a single-cylinder engine since the end of last year to help set up its Formula One test and measuring equipment.
Not because it read the 2026 regulations upside down, but because it’s planning on testing a working prototype of its upcoming hybrid F1 powertrain in full by the end of 2023.
In an update at the Shanghai motor show, Audi confirmed its racing division has already begun preparing its full works entry into the top tier of motorsport for 2026; a factory team with a power unit developed in Germany. And it is this power unit, comprised of a 1.6-litre V6, electric motor, battery and ECU, that’ll be tested later this year to help form the ‘basis’ of the 2026 setup.
“The Audi Formula One project has really taken off in recent months,” said Audi’s technical development boss Oliver Hoffman. “We attach great importance to detail work, for example on materials or manufacturing technologies, and we also focus on topics such as the energy management of the hybrid drivetrain.”
The racing outfit – officially called ‘Audi Formula Racing GmbH’ – has already built a team of 260 F1 specialists, with a view to expanding out to 300 by the end of the year at its base in Neuburg. Indeed this facility will get a revamped development simulator to get it up to proper F1-spec. Naturally, the Neuburg facility is CO2-neutral.
Indeed Audi says “the focus on sustainability and cost efficiency in the form of a budget cap were important factors for Audi’s entry into Formula One”. Don’t forget, Audi’s partnering up with Sauber.
“Motorsport is an integral part of our DNA,” says Audi boss Markus Duesmann. “We are convinced that our Formula One commitment will strengthen Audi’s sporting focus.”
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