(Motorsport-Total.com) – The German car manufacturer Audi is embarking on perhaps its biggest adventure yet with its entry into Formula 1. After several years of development and preparation, the brand made its debut in the motorsport “king class” at the start of the 2026 season, coinciding with the introduction of a new Technical Regulation.
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The first rollout took place behind closed doors before Audi officially appeared on the big stage for the first time at the winter tests and then at the season opener in Australia. The team scored its first World Championship points in the first race weeks, followed by further milestones and best marks as the season progressed.
The following chronology shows the most important stages of the Audi project in Formula 1 so far – from the first test to the first sporting successes. A photo gallery additionally illustrates these milestones in pictures.
The Audi milestones in Formula 1
January 9, 2026: The first meters
Audi’s Formula 1 history begins with a non-public test drive in Barcelona. The R26 covers its first kilometers as the first Audi racing car in the motorsport “king class” and also as the first car under the 2026 regulations. However, the outing only becomes known afterwards.
January 26, 2026: The first encounter
For the first time, Audi meets the competition at the official Formula 1 shakedown in Barcelona. Lap times are not published.
February 11, 2026: The first official test drives
At the start of the winter tests in Bahrain, Audi begins immediate season preparation. The team collects around 3,800 test kilometers in total and immediately ranks in the broad midfield.
March 6, 2026: The first race weekend begins
At the first free practice for the Australian Grand Prix, Audi participates in an official Formula 1 weekend for the first time. Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg finish the session in ninth and tenth place among 22 drivers.
March 7, 2026: The first top-10 starting position for Audi
Already in the first qualifying in the team’s history, Audi makes it into the top 10: Bortoleto qualifies tenth, while Hülkenberg rounds off the strong team result narrowly in eleventh place.
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March 8, 2026: The first points result in Formula 1
With the Australian Grand Prix, Audi is on the starting grid of a Formula 1 race for the first time. Bortoleto immediately scores the first World Championship points for the team by finishing ninth, while Hülkenberg retires due to a technical defect.
March 20, 2026: The team principal leaves
The 2026 Formula 1 season is only two race weekends old when Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley unexpectedly announces his immediate resignation. Wheatley leaves Audi at his own request and for “personal reasons.” No further details are disclosed, and Wheatley is initially not directly replaced.
March 29, 2026: Both cars finish for the first time
At the third race in Suzuka, Audi reaches the finish line with both cars for the first time. Hülkenberg and Bortoleto finish eleventh and thirteenth, narrowly missing the points positions.
April 24, 2026: New race director
Longtime Audi sports car driver and former Formula 1 driver Allan McNish is introduced as the new Audi race director. McNish takes over some of the tasks previously fulfilled by Wheatley as team principal – without being a direct team principal successor. The role of team principal is not refilled.
July 5, 2026: New Audi best performance
In Silverstone, Audi achieves its best Formula 1 result so far: Bortoleto finishes eighth at the British Grand Prix.
July 19, 2026: Points in direct succession for the first time
Just two weeks later, Bortoleto confirms the performance with another eighth place in Spa-Francorchamps. This marks the first time Audi scores points in two consecutive Grand Prix races.
July 26, 2026: Hülkenberg also scores points
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Audi achieves a top 10 finish for the third consecutive race. This time, Hülkenberg contributes further World Championship points with ninth place. Audi moves up to eighth place in the constructors’ standings.
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