The German brand Audi confirmed that it will join Formula 1 in 2026 and set a deadline to achieve first wins
German car brand Audi presented his project in Madrid with which he will enter to Formula 1 in 2026 and with which, according to Adam Baker, world director of the same, they hope “win races in three years”while commenting that “it would be fantastic” to be able to count on the Spanish driver Carlos Sainz by then.
“We would love to be competitive from the start, but you have to be realistic. We would like to be in a position to compete to win races in three years”, he said at a press conference.
“We understand and recognize the scale of the challenge. We have it very much in mind, but we want to show that we can work and achieve success. We know well what the challenges are. If we compare ourselves with the other brands, we are in a different situation. To begin with, we have a lot of time until our debut, we have 42 months left until our first race. Also, we are at the beginning of the 2026 regulations, so we are at the beginning of the cycle. As an entry point, 2026 is a very attractive year,” he continued.
“To be successful in F1 you have to have it all. We are going to do everything possible for it, not only in developing an engine; We are going to invest in the entire team. Now we are about 130 people working on the project and in the end we believe that we will be more than 300 workers”, he added.
An Adam Baker who is the visible face of the project that enters an F1 that “is attractive” in terms of sustainability due to the engine regulations that start in 2026 and the objective of having a zero carbon footprint in 2030, while pondered the growth in repercussion that it has had since last year as key factors for its entry into the competition.
Also, He assured that they are considering having “an experienced driver” for his entry into Formula 1.
Carlos Sainz? Fernando Alonso?
“As for the drivers, we know there is a lot of interest, but it’s a bit early. There are three and a half years left and it is time for many changes. Some pilots will have to participate in the development process, ”he valued.
Of course, he did not stop when he assured that “it would be fantastic” to have Carlos Sainz among his pilots, but at the same time he made it clear that “2026 is many years away”.
In addition, he did not shy away from another proper name such as the also Spanish Fernando Alonso: “We will have that interest, but it is very difficult to think about what is going to happen in three and a half years; we can only speculate,” he said.
On the other hand, when asked by EFE, Adam Baker, commented on the possibility that by 2026 there will be a woman driving in her own brand or in F1.
“Changes still have to be introduced for women to be drivers in F1, which is something very important. We know that the door is closed now and that it is a great opportunity for both F1 and the FIA. Much progress has been made in recent years, but there is still work to be done,” he explained.
At the moment, the great unknown that surrounds Audi is with which team it will be associated for its entry into F1. They were linked to Sauber -who currently competes under the name of Ala Romeo-, but, at the moment, there is no official agreement.
“In principle, we will work with a partner that already exists and we will give details before the end of the year. Regulations may require us to supply engines to other teams, but right now we are focused on our work programme,” he said.
“We can’t talk about Sauber. Finding the right partner is essential, this is what will give us success in the future”, complete.
An Audi project that still has more than three years left to be released, 42 months, and in which they trust that the economic figures support it.
“We think it will be a positive marketing case that will give us a long-term sustainable cycle. We are not going to give data, but we have a solid financial plan, ”he declared.
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