Audi's 2026 Formula One entry: smart or foolhardy?

At least a half-dozen major car manufacturers have gone into Formula One, spent huge sums of money while not winning, and departed looking sheepish. TopGear.com outlines these dreadful odds to Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and asks why he's trying to beat them. Audi's works team will join the grid in 2026.

"Formula One is an exciting sports platform. And we wouldn't have stepped in without the new regulations starting in 2026 – having a budget cap and a higher degree of electrification. It's a complex and interesting technical challenge and we're happy to work on it.

"Motorsports has been part of Audi's DNA. It's important to building a brand, especially looking to Asia and North America. Formula One attracts customers who are highly relevant for Audi: much younger, and a high quota of females."

Even getting onto the track has been complex. Audi had originally planned just to be a powertrain supplier, from its workshop in Neuberg, Germany. Sauber was the only team available but supplying it didn't look like a way to get results. Sauber has recorded just one win (as BMW) in nearly 30 years. So Audi did a 100 per cent takeover. "We re-started last September, buying Sauber." It will be a full works team.

"Right now we are sharpening the strategy. We know where we stand." And where's that? "The Sauber team is 10th out of 10 with no points. The direction will definitely be positive." From that base it could hardly be negative of course, and at this point Döllner is gracious enough to join in TopGear.com's sniggering.

So will people notice if you manage to do better, but still don't win? "You have to be humble. It's a long journey. The most important part is to improve step by step." So will you stay, unlike Toyota, Honda, Jaguar, BMW, Alfa…? "Yes. We are improving the team's setup. Formula One is a people business and you have to have a functioning team. Time will tell."

Actually, because places on the grid are limited and viewing figures are rising, the value of a team – any old team really – keeps on rising. So Audi's ownership looks like a smart capital move even if it later bales out.

Nico Hulkenburg has been named as a driver, and there's much speculation Carlos Sainz will be another, but Döller won't comment.

There are already 300 engineers at Audi's powertrain centre alone, with 22 test cells. They have already integrated the engine and electrical system and run full race simulations.

Yet F1's IP strictures and sponsorship politics mean throughout 2025 Audi will be spending millions on the team but can't put its name to the cars. It even has to continue with the clumsy name "Audi Formula 1 Project", and can't be visibly present at races. The team remains Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber until 2026. But then, why would Audi want its name on 2025's likely tail-ender?

It's common to hear manufacturers who fail to win claiming it has all been worthwhile because of technology transfer from race to road. Is that the case? "No. You have to be honest. You have a high-rev combustion engine in combination with an electric motor at 60,000rpm and a gearbox that changes in 0.05 seconds. That's another story [from road cars]. But it does give you an efficiency mindset, a racing spirit, to me that's the more important part of it."

That said, a company in F1 should be able to take advantage in its most sporty cars. Do Audi RS models have a future? "Yes for sure." A standalone supercar after the R8? "We're looking but it's way to early to talk about that. The philosophy of F1 and a performance hybrid fits perfectly."