First Audi F1 reaction emerges as Hulkenberg and Bortoleto break silence on shakedown
Image: Audi F1 (Instagram)
Nico Hulkenberg has paid tribute to the Audi F1 team’s “fantastic effort” after it became the first team to hit the track with its F1 2026 car.
Audi held a filming day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday to collect the first miles with the new R26 machine.
Audi F1 ‘officially rolling’ after F1 2026 car shakedown in Barcelona
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
The shakedown came 17 days before the start of F1’s first official pre-season test, which is to be held behind closed doors at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.
As reported by PlanetF1.com, fan footage emerged on social media of the R26 – appearing in an all-black livery – out on track in Barcelona.
Audi was limited to 200 kilometres (42 laps) of running in its first of two allowed filming days with its 2026 car, with Hulkenberg and teammate Gabriel Bortoleto believed to have shared driving duties.
F1 2026: Formula 1’s season of change
F1 2025 v F1 2026: Nine key questions ahead of huge regulation changes
F1’s secret battleground revealed amid preparations for 2026 revolution
In a post to social media to mark the occasion, Audi described the shakedown as a “milestone moment” ahead of the German manufacturer’s debut season.
Audi said: “We’re officially rolling. A milestone moment in Barcelona as the R26 hit a racetrack for the very first time.
“First day. First laps. First chance for our drivers to experience the car.
“The road ahead starts right here.”
In a separate post, Hulkenberg nodded to the speed with which Audi has got up and running in 2026.
He wrote: “9th of January 2026 & the rings are rolling
“Fantastic effort Audi F1.”
Bortoleto added: “So happy to finally start this journey! First day at the track with Audi F1.”
Audi will officially launch the R26 at an event in Berlin on January 20, six days before the start of the behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona.
Teams will be restricted to a maximum of three days of running across the five-day test across January 26-30.
A further two pre-season tests will be held in Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20 before the F1 2026 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: FIA to hold F1 2026 engine talks ahead of Barcelona pre-season test
