Overview
- Audi presented its first F1 car and livery in Berlin and set a Mission 2030 target to be fighting for championships by 2030.
- Audi enters as a full works outfit after taking over Sauber, building its power unit in Neuburg with the chassis in Hinwil, and retaining Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto under team principal Jonathan Wheatley.
- The R26 has already run at a private Barcelona filming day, with a closed shakedown at Barcelona next week followed by two Bahrain tests before the season opens in Australia in March.
- Honda launched the RA626H in Tokyo as Aston Martin’s works supplier and cautioned the 2026 regulations are technically demanding, saying early struggles are possible even as it targets long-term success.
- F1’s 2026 rules shift power units toward a near 50:50 ICE–electric split, remove the MGU-H, and introduce smaller, lighter cars with active aerodynamics, elevating energy deployment and system integration.