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, Formula E, or Rallye Dakar: In an impressive performance, Audi has triumphed in all motorsport projects with numerous victories and major championship titles. In customer racing, international customer teams 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 has gained in motorsports is reflected in all its models.

Formula 1 will spearhead the company’s related activities. 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.

Launched in 2009, the brand’s customer racing program has won more than 500 overall and class championship titles worldwide. Nineteen 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 more than 200 races and nearly 50 titles since January 2024. 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. 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 customer teams 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.