Motorsports – The DNA of Audi Sport

Audi Sport has stood for “Vorsprung durch Technik” in international motorsports since 1981. Whether at the World Rally Championship, Pikes Peak, super touring car championships, DTM, GT racing, Le Mans prototypes, or Formula E: In an impressive performance, Audi has triumphed in all motorsport projects with numerous victories and major championship titles. In the most recent success, Audi took first place at the Dakar Rally in January 2024. In customer racing, international customers driving Audi Sport GmbH models vie to come out on top in circuit races. Audi will enter Formula 1 for the time in 2026. The knowledge that Audi Sport GmbH, which has been responsible for the brand with the four rings’ entire program since 2020, has gained in motorsports is reflected in all its models.

Formula 1 will spearhead the company’s related activities in the future. Audi Sport GmbH has established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Audi Formula Racing GmbH, to enter the premier class of motorsports. From 2026, the brand with the four rings will compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with a specially developed power unit.

The power unit will be built at Audi Sport’s state-of-the-art Competence Center Motorsport in Neuburg an der Donau, not far from AUDI AG headquarters in Ingolstadt. The center, which opened in 2014, is considered one of the most sophisticated of its kind and is currently undergoing extensive expansion for the F1 debut. The move entails the first Formula 1 power unit to be built in Germany since 2009. The decisive factor is the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) new regulations, which, among other things, will provide for sustainable synthetic fuels from 2026 and raise the electric share of hybrid drive units to almost 50 percent. Audi wants to actively shape the transformation of what is by far the most significant motorsport series.

The same is true when it comes to the company’s involvement in the famous Dakar Rally. The Audi RS Q e-tron competed in cross-country rallies in the T1 Ultimate class for alternative-drive prototypes for the last time in 2024. The RS Q e-tron’s drive concept combines an electric powertrain with a high-voltage battery and a highly efficient energy converter. Following their debut with first stage wins at the 2022 Dakar Rally, the Audi Sport team achieved the first overall victory of a car with an electric powertrain in a cross-country rally at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The next technological innovation followed at the 2023 Dakar Rally, where Audi used an innovative fuel that reduced carbon emissions by more than 60 percent for the first time. In 2024, the Audi Sport team won a historic victory: Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz took first place in one of the toughest Dakar Rallies yet. This victory makes Audi the first manufacturer to make history with an alternative drive concept.

Launched in 2009, the brand’s customer racing program has won nearly 500 overall and class championship titles worldwide. Seventeen overall victories at 24-hour races and many other successes in endurance motorsports round off this impressive legacy. Audi Sport customer racing finished the past season with a strong performance: Customer teams on five continents have won 300 races and nearly 90 titles since January 2003. These victories were achieved at the wheel of the Audi RS 3 LMS touring car and the GT4, GT2, and GT3 variants of the Audi R8 LMS. This season’s accolades include the TCR Model of the Year title, which the Audi RS 3 LMS won for the third consecutive year and the fourth time overall. The 2023 season marks the end of Audi Sport customer racing’s strategic involvement, developed by the company alongside its customers’ comprehensive programs. However, racing series, the public, and the media can still look forward to exciting motorsports in the tradition of the four rings, as many customers will continue to use products and services from Audi Sport customer racing for global categories in the future. They will continue to benefit from the service they’ve come to rely on, including comprehensive parts supply from Audi Sport and its regional partners in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Canada.