Audi became the first team to field a 2026 Formula 1 car at the Barcelona shoot on Friday.
Audi has taken over what was previously the Sauber team, but has become a factory and produces its own engine under the sport’s new technical regulations for this season.
Given that the new regulations contain major changes to both the chassis and the engine, three pre-season tests have been organized, the first of which will take place at the Barcelona-Catalonia track from January 26 to 30.
Several teams are likely to use one of their two allowed shoot-in days for the season to shake up their cars ahead of the first test, with Audi becoming the first team to do so on Friday with its new R26.
In an Instagram post, the team released a selection of images taken from the pit lane and garage during the day – although the three featuring the car itself, unsurprisingly, gave little away about the design at this early stage of the year with such radical new technical rules.
One was shot from a distance as the car came down the pit lane, another was taken from behind when it was in the pits while the third only had the right side of its rear wing.
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoletto drove the car, while team principal Jonathan Wheatley and Audi F1 boss Matthias Binotto were also present.
The team said in an Instagram post: “We’re officially rolling.
“The turning point in Barcelona when the R26 hit the race track for the first time. The first day. The first laps. The first opportunity for our drivers to experience the car.”
“The way forward starts right here.”
Audi will officially unveil its new-look team and the first look of the car at an event in Berlin on January 20, five days before the R26 returns to the track in Barcelona for the first closed-door pre-season test.
All 11 F1 teams on the 2026 grid have now been confirmed their plans for ‘launch season’, with two Red Bull teams set to launch livery at new partner Ford’s headquarters in Detroit on January 15.
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8. Stream Ski Sports from NOW – no contract, cancel anytime