Audi has finally cemented its entry into the 2026 season of the Formula 1 championship.
Audi has finally cemented its entry into the 2026 season of the Formula 1 championship.The long-awaited announcement – which has been on the cards for months – comes in the wake of the FIA’s approval of new F1 engine regulations for the 2026 season, which were broadly seen as a green light for Audi and sibling brand Porsche to enter the sport.
Audi will build its own powertrains at its motorsport headquarters in Neuburg, Germany, and both CEO Markus Duesmann and technical boss Oliver Hoffman – speaking at a press conference prior to this weekend’s Belgian GP – have suggested the development programme will inform development of electrified road cars. “This is the first time in more than a decade that a Formula 1 power train will be built in Germany”, Audi notes.
There is no word yet on which chassis Audi’s engines will be mounted in, but the marque says it will announce a partner for 2026 by the end of this year.
Both Audi and Porsche were awaiting confirmation that the Motor Generator Unit – Heat (MGU-H) – which captures energy from exhaust gases – would be scrapped from 2026 as part of the rule revamp, given the significant cost of developing such a complex system that has no relevance in a road car development context.
From 2026, electrical energy for the hybrid drivetrain element will be generated exclusively by the more conventional kinetic recovery system, which works via energy recuperation under braking – much like on a road-going EV, which makes entry into the sport a vastly more attractive prospect for the VW Group brands.
Porsche, however, has yet to solidify its own plans for a Formula 1 entry, though it is widely reported to be acquiring a 50% stake in UK-based Red Bull Technologies, likely with a view to becoming the current top team’s engine supplier, following Honda’s exit from the sport last year. Details of exactly what shape this partnership could take remain to be seen, and the German sports car manufacturer has not publicly commented on the reports.