Audi unveils R26 livery and sets sights on first F1 title by 2030
Jonathan Wheatley has set an ambitious goal for Audi after the team’s launch.
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley said the German constructor wants “to be the most successful Formula 1 team in history” as it launched its 2026 car in Berlin.
The famous four rings became the latest 2026 competitor to unveil its car and in doing so, a project that has been talked about for a number of years now feels very real.
Audi chief makes bold statement of intent
The arrival of Audi on the 2026 F1 grid is something we have known about since August 2022 but talk of the future has become talk of the present with the brand unveiling its livery at a launch event in Berlin on Tuesday.
At the event, both drivers were present along with key senior staff such as Wheatley and Mattias Binotto and it was the former Red Bull man who set the lofty target.
“We’re not here to mess around,” he said. “We have a journey. It’s an ambitious journey, and we’re humble. We know where we’re starting from, but we know where we want to go, and we want to get this team ready.
“We want Audi Formula 1 team to be the most successful Formula 1 team in history, but we have to start where we are, and there’s a journey. We have measurable milestones on that journey, and we’re excited to start it, and we’re starting it today.”
The title of most successful team in F1 history currently belongs to Ferrari whose 16 titles is six more than the nearest competitor, McLaren. A maiden Championship win would put Audi as the joint 10th most successful and Binotto said the goal is to be competing for that title in 2030.
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“[We are] aiming to fight for a championship in 2030,” he said. “We have long discussed what should be the objective for ’26, can we make it tangible? Should we look at our ranking in the Constructors’ Championship?
“Should we look at how many points are scored at the end of the season? But I think as a very first year for us, that would be the wrong approach.
“For us, some ways to become competitive, we need to stay humble. There is much to learn, and for us, it is more about the attitude. It’s being there, continuously learning. That’s really what we need to do and becoming competitive means that average is not an option anymore.
“We know exactly where we need to go, what the journey is, and it’s simply, again, working hard getting there and somehow becoming more and more serious as well for our competitors.”
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