Formula 1 News: Audi unveils 2026 concept, driver friendship
(GMM) Audi has pulled the covers off a dramatic R26 concept car that previews the look of its 2026 Formula 1 entry, revealing the design at an event in Munich.
Related Article: Formula 1 News: Audi gives early peak at 2026 R26 car
With Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto on hand, Audi CEO Gernot Dollner, F1 project boss Mattia Binotto and team principal Jonathan Wheatley presented the metallic-silver and neon-red show car – the first fully fledged visual statement of Audi’s forthcoming arrival.
The front half is finished in brushed metal tones, shifting sharply into a black-and-neon red rear section. The new “Audi Red”, a vivid fluorescent shade, will become a key identity marker for the team.
“The R26 Concept provides a very distinct preview of the color scheme and design of the brand’s first Formula 1 race car, which will be unveiled in January 2026,” the brand announced.
Audi designers told Auto Motor und Sport that the neon-red accents will form a defining signature. Chief creative officer Massimo Frascella said: “We want to have the most striking car on the grid. We want to be the most daring brand off the track.”
Binotto added: “Mistakes will happen, but learning from them is what drives transformation.”
Dollner declared: “For the next two years we will be challengers. From 2028 onwards we want to be competitive, and from 2030 we want to be fighting for the title.
“Entering Formula 1 has never been better than now with this rule change.”
The event also highlighted the bond between Audi’s confirmed 2026 pairing – Hulkenberg, 38, and Bortoleto, 21 – already teammates at Sauber and described by Speed Week as “an authentic and unusual friendship” in the modern F1 paddock.
“I can learn so much from Nico,” Bortoleto said. “He always has an open ear for me.”
After the Brazilian’s terrifying high-speed crash at Interlagos, Hulkenberg reassured him immediately. “He told me, ‘Rest assured, something like that only happens once every 20 years. You’ll have many good and bad moments; it only makes you stronger.'”
Hulkenberg said of the rookie: “Gabi is one of the most promising rookies I’ve seen in a long time. He’s a machine; he produces laps like a printer that never runs out of ink.”
Team boss Wheatley said the relationship formed naturally. “You can’t force people to be friends. Nico and Gabi built their relationship on trust from the beginning. Nico genuinely enjoys helping him. A real friendship has developed.”
