In 2026, Audi will become the second major OEM from Germany to enter Formula 1, after Mercedes, and when Audi announced its commitment during the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, it couldn’t resist a little side swipe at its country folk in the press release: ‘This is the first time in more than a decade that a Formula 1 power unit has been built in Germany,’ it stated.
Although Mercedes has been an engine manufacturer in Formula 1 since 1994, the engines are developed and manufactured in Brixworth in the UK. The Stuttgart-based car maker had gradually taken over engine manufacturer Ilmor, which itself had emerged from Cosworth spin-offs, Mario Illien and Paul Morgan. The last Formula 1 engines to actually be made in Germany came from BMW in Munich and, ironically, Toyota in Cologne.
Now, the Motorsport Competence Centre in Neuburg an der Donau, around 20 minutes from Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt, is once again producing Formula 1 engines made in Germany.
That means that for the first time since 2015, F1 has not one but two new engine manufacturers, with Red Bull Powertrains joining in partnership with Ford. Back then, Honda was a latecomer to the turbo hybrid era, and the Japanese manufacturer struggled to gain a foothold in the class.
Audi has learnt from Honda’s mistakes, and it is no coincidence that it is joining just when the new rule set is coming in. Audi was already at the table when the negotiations on the 2026 PU regulations were taking place.
Basic requirements
‘We achieved a lot of what we wanted,’ Stefan Dreyer, CTO at Audi Formula Racing, told confidently during a visit to Neuburg, shortly after the decision to
