What can be expected from Audi in Formula 1? Expectations and goals for the 2026 season

The Germans were not going to come to an outsider and expect a miracle. A team of specialists and leading specialists was brought in and the composition of the pilots and management was updated. All these changes had a noticeable impact as early as 2025.

The project is led by former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. The Italian pilot started his career as an engine engineer at the Scuderia and gradually became team manager. Under his management, Ferrari has competed for the championship once from 2019 to 2023, with the start of the hybrid era in 2022.

In the first half of the season, Sauber was very active in updating the car, focusing not on immediate results but on establishing processes and developing the team effectively. Thanks to this, an outsider with a big gap turned into a competitive car that can fight for the second part of the top 10 and even challenge the drivers in the top five at times.

To connect

Hulkenberg is an experienced racing driver who has competed in more than 250 races in Formula 1. The German driver achieved his first podium finish just last season, but it would be unfair to call him a weak driver. Throughout his career, he has consistently performed by pushing the limits of the tools at his disposal, and the level of the teams he competed against often raised more questions than answers.

Technical nuances and innovations

However, these achievements in no way guarantee automatic success in Formula 1. Although practice shows that in other motorsport series Audi’s results often do not wait too long after the start.

Even before the start of the championship and the first full tests, some important aspects are already known that can significantly affect the success of the team.

First of all, everything that’s going on around power plants and new engine regulations. With the introduction of new rules, the role of the engine in Formula 1 is increasing again. According to available information, Audi is happy with the pace of development of its own engine and the situation around the power unit, but has serious questions about the decisions of its rivals.

In response other manufacturers contacted the FIA ​​with complaints and requests for official clarification. According to available information, the main initiator of these calls was Audi and is currently the most dissatisfied with the development of the situation. More clarity is expected on Thursday, January 22, when a planned meeting of all power unit manufacturers will be held to discuss controversial issues.

But there isn’t much reason to be skeptical yet. According to available information, Audi became the first manufacturer to reach the minimum permissible vehicle weight. This could be a potentially significant advantage, especially at the beginning of a new regulatory cycle. Other manufacturers, on the contrary, are faced with the problem of excess weight due to the increase in the number of electric motors, increased safety requirements and new car paint standards.

But Audi’s advantages don’t end there. The new rules include active aerodynamics on the front and rear wings, as well as mechanisms to change modes that add extra mass. According to insider information, Audi is developing a revolutionary electronic solution for the 2026 season, abandoning the hydraulic solution to control the active elements of the front wing.

Although it is very difficult to implement, it will help reduce weight and increase speed.

Therefore, Audi has many serious trump cards before the season starts. At least according to sources, the German project appears to be quite competitive from a technical perspective. The only question is how effective these solutions will be on the track and whether competitors will be able to quickly find answers to Audi’s engineering breakthroughs.

Team expectations

The team is spending all its resources on preparing for new regulations: it invited leading experts and managers, created a high-quality pilot composition, has its own innovative developments and does not express concerns about power plants. At the same time, the situation among competitors, especially those from the leading group, is not worse, but in many respects even better.

It is almost certain that the 2026 season will bring many surprises from the first races. However, the important thing will not be the start of the championship, but where the team will be at the end. The determining factor will be the update window and the ability to withstand the update race in the long run.

As the example of Sauber shows in 2025, the team finally has the opportunity to qualitatively update the car throughout the season. But back then we were talking about different regulations and completely different needs. Now it all seems that the German project has everything it needs not only to avoid the role of outsider, but also to fight for high positions in individual races.

As for the team’s goals, Mattia Binotto has previously emphasized that Audi does not expect a sensational start in 2026. The main objectives are long-term and relate to the end of the current period and the beginning of the next regulatory cycle. Audi plans to follow McLaren’s lead in the current rules: the team had a mediocre start to the period, but understood the rules better than others and had already improved sharply in the middle of the cycle, winning two constructors’ championships and a driver’s championship in two years.

The first real comparisons and expectations from Audi can take shape after winter tests.