Overview
- Audi completed limited-mileage running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, making the R26 the first 2026-spec car seen on track.
- Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto shared driving duties under FIA promotional rules capped at up to 200 km on Pirelli demonstration tyres.
- The outing follows a confirmed December 19 fire-up of Audi’s new V6 hybrid installed in the chassis at Hinwil.
- Audi enters 2026 as a full works team after acquiring Sauber, with operations centered in Hinwil and Neuburg under Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto.
- Formal launch is scheduled for January 20 in Berlin, with a private Barcelona test on January 26–30 and Bahrain pre-season tests in February.