Audi Formula Racing GmbH recently announced that it has achieved its goals and met significant milestones on the Audi F1 Power Unit for the 2026 Formula 1 racing season. Working at a dedicated facility in Neuburg, Germany, the Audi team reports the complete F1 Power Unit running on a test bench. It runs simulated races based on F1 tracks, such as Singapore and Las Vegas.
Why the Audi Power Unit matters
In 2026, the Stake Kick Sauber F1 team, which currently uses Ferrari engines, will become an Audi factory works team. Audi established a separate business unit, Audi Formula Racing GmbH, to develop the hybrid power unit for the next-gen Formula 1 racecar. Working in private but in compliance with FIA F1 Rules and Regulations, Audi has been developing the Audi F1 Power Unit since 2022.
All F1 racecars must comply with the requirements for the 2026 season, but most of the work on the new racecars cannot begin before January 1, 2025. The next-gen racecar technical standards significantly differ from those of the cars running in the 2024 F1 calendar. The current standards will remain for the 2025 season while all F1 teams develop their new cars.
What has Audi accomplished with the Power Unit for F1?
“We gained a lot of testing time with the individual components in 2023 and were able to incorporate the experience gained into the next construction stages in parallel,” said Audi Formula Racing CEO Adam Baker.
“Today, we have 22 state-of-the-art test benches at the site,” CTO Stefan Dreyer added, “By testing on the test bench under simulated racing conditions we gain important insights in this phase of the project,” Dreyer continued.
Audi’s advantage
The FIA enforces cost caps for F1 teams to keep the motorsport from being controlled by teams willing to spend the most money. Audi’s Baker addressed the cost cap and explained why Audi has an advantage.
“Like all other Formula 1 teams and Power Unit manufacturers, we were faced with the challenge of setting ourselves up accordingly. It’s all about cost-cap efficiency and cost-cap conformity. One advantage was that we were able to start on a blank sheet of paper, so to speak, creating our own company, Audi Formula Racing GmbH, for the project,” Baker said.
“We had a clear picture of structures, systems, processes and the right mindset right from the start. The topic of finance has a direct impact on performance due to the cost cap. There has never been such a direct link between operational efficiency and sporting success in Formula 1. The fact that we can operate at the limit of the cost cap with PU development puts us on a par with our competitors,” Baker concluded.
