Audi Admits It Won’t Lead Power Unit Race in 2026 F1 Season

Audi is preparing for one of its most important Formula 1 seasons ever as it gets ready to supply engines to the Sauber team in 2026. The new rules coming to F1 will bring big changes for all teams, making cars lighter and more efficient, with a major focus on sustainability.

For the first time, engines must use a 50-50 mix of power from internal combustion and electric systems, and all teams will switch to 100% sustainable fuel. Audi joins the grid as a full engine manufacturer in 2026, along with Ford, which partners with Red Bull, and Cadillac, which will arrive in 2029.

Mattia Binotto, leading Audi’s F1 project, has experience with major engine changes from his time at Ferrari. He said building F1 power units is harder than most people think and that the 2026 rules will raise the difficulty even more.

Binotto explained that engine teams will have to adopt new ideas and cultures, since designing the next generation of hybrid power units is not just a technical step, but a shift in thinking. The 2026 regulations remove the MGU-H, a complex system that recovered heat from the engine, and instead ask teams to focus on the MGU-K and battery systems.

All cars will need to run on fuels like e-fuels or biofuels, and the type of fuel each team chooses could make a big difference in performance. Audi may have some help in this area because its parent company, Volkswagen Group, has already invested in e-fuel projects through Porsche.

Porsche even built a special e-fuels production site in Chile in 2023, which could help Audi develop a more advanced fuel for racing. Even with these advantages, Binotto is realistic about Audi’s position.

He explained that Audi will not arrive at the top immediately, and that he does not expect to have “the best power unit” for the start of the new era. The team is staying focused on steady progress and development, believing that their chosen path is the right one, even if the results are not instant.

Rumors in the paddock suggest that Mercedes could start strongly again, just as it did when hybrid engines arrived in 2014. That year, Mercedes dominated races while rivals played catch-up.

Binotto said it’s possible that with such major rule changes, one team could again find an early edge and set the pace for everyone else. If that happens, the other manufacturers will have to push hard to close the gap.

Audi’s arrival in partnership with Sauber also signals a new chapter for the team, which last won an F1 race under the BMW banner in 2008. The coming season will be a chance for Sauber to return to the spotlight with a fresh identity and a new partner.

With so much changing, the true order of teams won’t be known until the cars line up on the grid for the first race of the 2026 season. While Audi does not expect to be on top right away, its leadership is confident that with the right long-term focus, it can build a competitive power unit.

For fans, 2026 is shaping up as a unique year, filled with new technologies, new fuels, and new chances for any team to make its mark in F1 history.