Auto Union was established in 1932 as a merger of four struggling firms — Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer — during the Great Depression. Following a state-sponsored motor racing programme announced by the German government, Auto Union contested the AIACR European Championship alongside Mercedes-Benz. The rivalry was intense and deliberate: a government prize was allocated to incentivise competition between the two manufacturers.
Across five seasons, Auto Union won seven Grandes Épreuves and 14 non-championship Grands Prix. Bernd Rosemeyer secured the European Drivers' Championship in 1936 driving the Type C, with victories at the German, Swiss, and Italian Grands Prix. Hermann Paul Müller drove the Type D to what would have been the 1939 European Championship, though the title was not formally awarded due to the outbreak of World War II. Auto Union was absorbed by Volkswagen in 1964 and became the foundation of the modern Audi company.
The constructor Audi acquired traces its Formula One lineage to Sauber Motorsport, which debuted in Formula One in 1993 after years in sportscar racing since 1970. Sauber partnered with Mercedes-Benz until 1994, then Ford until 1996, then Ferrari-branded engines (marketed as Petronas) through 2005. From 2006 to 2009 the team served as BMW's works entry, achieving its best constructors' results — second in 2007 and third in 2008 — with Robert Kubica taking the team's only race victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.
Sauber returned as an independent constructor with Ferrari engines from 2010, following a repurchase by Peter Sauber after the Great Recession. A title sponsorship deal with Alfa Romeo in 2018 led to a full rebrand from 2019 to 2023, after which the team raced under Stake and Kick branding before transitioning to the Audi era.
In August 2022, Audi announced its intention to enter Formula One as a power unit manufacturer in 2026, timed to coincide with a comprehensive regulation overhaul. That October, Audi confirmed a partnership with Sauber, acquiring a stake for a full rebrand and power unit supply deal. A technology centre was opened in July 2025 at Bicester Motion in Oxfordshire, England, situated in the established Motorsport Valley cluster, designed to attract specialist personnel to complement the primary headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland. The power unit programme is based in Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria.
In November 2024, the Qatar Investment Authority acquired a minority stake in the team, described as a substantial investment to support personnel and facility expansion ahead of the 2026 entry. Audi signed a multi-year title sponsorship deal with British financial technology company Revolut. In December 2025, the team unveiled the Audi Revolut F1 Team name and logo, with Sauber Motorsport AG set to be renamed Audi Motorsport AG as part of the formal transition.
Driver signings for the debut season were Nico Hulkenberg on a multi-year contract and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. Neel Jani was appointed as simulator driver to assist car development.
At a Berlin launch event in January 2026, Audi outlined a five-year plan aimed at challenging for championships by 2030. The team debuted at the Australian Grand Prix with the R26, designed to the new 2026 chassis and power unit regulations. Bortoleto and Hulkenberg qualified tenth and eleventh respectively. Bortoleto finished ninth to score Audi's first ever Formula One championship points; Hulkenberg was unable to start due to technical issues. Roles were reversed in China, where Hulkenberg finished eleventh while Bortoleto could not start. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Hulkenberg again finished eleventh and Bortoleto thirteenth after a poor start.
Team leadership changes came early in the season. Jonathan Wheatley had been named inaugural team principal but departed in March 2026; project head Mattia Binotto was appointed team principal, with his title subsequently updated to CEO and Team Principal. James Key serves as technical director. On 24 April 2026, Allan McNish — who leads the driver development programme — was additionally named racing director accountable for trackside operations. The driver development programme had been formally launched on 23 January 2026.
Audi competes with a German racing licence and operates from three facilities: the former Sauber headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland for chassis construction; the Bicester Motion technology centre in Oxfordshire, England; and the Audi Formula Racing GmbH power unit facility in Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria, Germany.
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