In the 2026 F1 season, Kick Sauber is becoming Audi, and the iconic car company has just revealed its stunning first livery. Audi marked its Formula 1 debut with an event at Kraftwerk Berlin, offering racing fans a first look at a car that will be powered by its inaugural F1 Power Unit.
Audi CEO Gernot Dollner unveiled the design, alongside Head of Audi F1 project Mattia Binotto, Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley, and the team's drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, who reunite after racing together last year.
Audi isn't expected to be fighting at the front of the grid this year, but the team's Formula 1 debut has generated plenty of excitement.
Binotto told attendees, "The strategic decision to enter Formula 1 as a full works team is our single greatest asset. We have spent the last few years meticulously building not just a power unit in Neuburg but laying the foundations for a technical organisation that binds our chassis development in Hinwil and Bicester."
"This seamless integration gives us total control over our destiny, eliminating compromises and enabling a level of agility and innovation that is essential for success," the former Ferrari Team Principal added. "This is what makes Audi Revolut F1 Team one vision, controlling every variable from the engine block to the front wing. This is the foundation upon which championships are built."
Wheatley joins Audi after spending nearly two decades at Red Bull. He called the car "the physical embodiment of thousands of hours of hard work," and acknowledged that "This is just day one of a long campaign." Audi is now the second F1 team to reign in expectations after, ironically, Red Bull recently did the same.
The veteran Hulkenberg also commented, "Having been in the Formula 1 paddock for many years, you learn to distinguish between ambition and capability. What I feel here today is a profound seriousness and an incredible energy that sets this team apart."
"We are a true works team with a clear, long-term vision backed by immense resources and world-class expertise. For a driver, the proposition of being with Audi at the very start of its journey is exceptionally exciting."
Bortoleto added, "To race for the Four Rings, a brand that has such an iconic and victorious history in motorsport, is, quite simply, a dream come true. You grow up hearing about the dominance of Audi at Le Mans and in rallying, and to now be chosen to carry that legacy into Formula 1 is an unbelievable honour. This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
You can take a closer look at Audi's entry into the 2026 F1 season below.