Audi entered Formula 1 – Sport – Kommersant

Audi on Friday officially announced that it was joining the Formula 1 World Championship. In a statement, the manufacturer notes that starting from 2026, he will supply power plants for one of the championship teams. Which one exactly is not specified. Apparently, we are talking about Sauber, in which Audi will receive a significant stake. Confirmation of the arrival of another Volkswagen Group brand, Porsche, in Formula 1 may soon follow. The latter is interested in cooperation with Red Bull.

On Friday, Audi officially confirmed that it will join Formula 1 starting in 2026. “Motorsport is an integral part of Audi’s DNA,” said company chairman Markus Duesmann. “Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a very complex development lab. The combination of high performance and competition is always the driving force behind innovation and technology transfer in our industry. After all, both Formula 1 and Audi have clear sustainability goals.”

The company said in a statement that it will become the supplier of power plants for one of the teams in the series. Which one, Audi promised to report before the end of the year. Apparently, we are talking about Sauber (currently under the Alfa Romeo brand). Audi was also looking for other entry points into Formula 1, including offering around €650 million for a large stake in McLaren. There were attempts to negotiate the purchase of a stake in Williams.

However, according to the publication motorsport.com, only with Sauber managed to find an understanding. The delay in announcing the collaboration could be due to the fact that Sauber has a valid contract with Alfa Romeo.

It is renewed annually, so that at the end of the championship, the obstacles to the final registration of Audi’s entry into the capital of Sauber (we are talking about the majority stake) may disappear.

Note that Audi is not the only Volkswagen Group brand to appear in Formula 1 in 2026. In the near future, an announcement is expected about the beginning of Porsche’s cooperation with the current best team in the championship – Red Bull. It is assumed that Porsche will receive half of the team’s shares.

I must say that information about the upcoming arrival of Audi and Porsche in Formula 1 has been circulating for many months and, in fact, was an open secret. The company was kept from officially announcing its intentions by delays in the approval of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) regulations for power plants for 2026. The regulation was approved last week. Its most important parameters were the introduction of budget limits for the development of engines (no more than $95 million until 2025 and no more than $130 million in 2026), as well as the transition to synthetic fuel, which will be produced by the world’s largest oil company ARAMCO. Roughly speaking, we are talking about extracting carbon from air, hydrogen from water, then magically mix it all up and, after a series of chemical reactions, get the same fuel based on hydrocarbons. But the FIA ​​noted that this approach will achieve complete carbon neutrality – only the carbon that was obtained from it during its manufacture will return to the atmosphere when fuel is burned.

And for Audi and Porsche, it was carbon neutrality that was an important parameter when deciding on the implementation of projects in Formula 1.

We add that at the moment there are four engine suppliers in Formula 1: Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Honda. True, the latter formally left the tournament, but continues to supply power plants for Red Bull (used under the Red Bull Powertrains brand).

Alexander Petrov