Audi will build F1 engines, entering the sport in 2026
Enlarge / In a subtle troll at its rival, Audi says this will be the first F1 engine built in Germany for more than a decade. (credit: Audi)
Audi will race in Formula 1 in 2026 with engines built at its Audi Sport factory in Neustadt, Germany. After years of rumors, Friday's announcement was not entirely unexpected; in May then-Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess confirmed it would enter the sport in four years when the next set of engine regulations come into effect.
VW Group will actually fund two F1 programs, one with Audi and a second with Porsche, which is in the process of acquiring a 50 percent stake in Red Bull Technologies. The Porsche announcement was supposed to take place at Red Bull's home race in Austria in July, but the sport only ratified the 2026 engine rules in mid-August.
That deal may still need some i's dotted and t's crossed, but with the new rules now confirmed, Audi has taken the opportunity of this week's Belgian Grand Prix to reveal its show car and to formally launch its F1 effort.