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Our First Look at the Audi F1 Team, Official Merch, and Livery

At a buzzy event in Berlin, at the uber-cool Kraftwerk building in the city centre, Audi’s factory Formula 1 team took the wraps off its first ever F1 car — as well as some very slick official merch made by adidas.

Feast your eyes on this: the Audi Revolut F1 Team and the hottest-looking F1 car (so far) of the 2026 season. Audi’s contender is officially called the R26, and with that slick Blade-Runner livery it looks like it might just hover and take flight down the big straight at Silverstone.

The livery is refreshingly minimalist. Audi explains the titanium colour as a callback to the brand’s long motorsport tradition. (Their trophy cabinet must be massive, already including silverware from multiple Le Mans wins, World Rally Championships, sports car racing and the Dakar Rally desert race.) The pop of red/orange you see — officially called Audi Red — on top of the R26 is a newly introduced colour that will become, “a distinguishing feature of the team.” Even the font they’re using is new, made just for the team.

As Audi explains, the look is all part of a coordinated overall visual identity. The idea, as the company explains, is to give, “the team a distinct identity from its appearance at the racetrack to its presence on social media, while still being unmistakably Audi.”

For the fans, adidas collaborated on a full set of official merch, including a slick windbreaker, hat, hoodie, shirts and more. The German fashion giant also helped with the team overalls that drivers Gabriel Bortoleto (Brazil) and Nico Hülkenberg (Germany) will wear during the 2026 season.

Wondering when Audi’s F1 team merch will be available to buy? The team announced the fan collection will be available via the team’s website and adidas from February 19.

“Today, a lot of pieces of the puzzle are coming together,” said Gernot Döllner, CEO of Audi and chairman of the board of Audi Motorsport. “For the first time, the full power of the project is on display. We are ready and excited to inspire people around the world by taking part in Formula 1.”

Why is Audi Entering F1 Now?

We don’t know exactly how much Audi is investing to make its F1 debut, but it will be a very big number indeed. Hundreds of millions, at least. While it’s true that F1 tech doesn’t really ever translate to the road (despite the marketing claims) Audi’s goal here is bigger than F1. It’s not about racing, it’s about the very heart — and future — of the brand.

“The Formula 1 project is a strategic flagship for Audi, reflecting the technological, cultural and entrepreneurial realignment of the brand. It is intended to inspire customers and employees alike,” the company explained in a statement.

“Motorsport is part of the Audi DNA and has always been a driving force for technological progress and innovation,” the statement continued. “From the first mid-engine Grand Prix car to quattro all-wheel drive in rallying, to diesel, hybrid and electric powertrains at Le Mans, in Formula E and at the Dakar Rally, Audi has led every motorsport project to success with determination, courage, perseverance and team spirit, always pioneering new ground.”

In a move that can only be described as a brazen flex, at its Berlin team launch event, Audi rolled out a roster of its Greatest Hits from past motorsport adventures: DTM winners, a pre-war Auto Union Formula 1 racer, the Audi Sport quattro S1, and the Le Mans winning R18 e-tron quattro.

What’s Next For the Audi F1 Team?

The first race of the 2026 season kicks off in Australia on March 8, and if you’re not one of the hundreds of millions of people who follow F1, this is the perfect time to jump in. Why? Well, for one thing, F1 is more popular than ever, thanks in large part to its expansion across the globe, with new races in Asia, the Middle East, the U.S. and Mexico. There’s also a little show called Drive to Survive on Netflix that has done rather well for itself. And, unless you’ve been living under a rock with no Wi-Fi connection, you’ll have seen the smash hit blockbuster F1, starring Brad Pitt and featuring a star-making turn for Damson Idris.

Beyond the newfound popularity, 2026 is a great time to jump onto the bandwagon because the sport is hitting the reset button, levelling the playing field, so anyone could win next season. The “formula” of Formula 1 is changing for the first time in years.

Audi said, “Formula 1 is undergoing the biggest upheaval in its history,” and we’d be inclined to agree. (Or, at the very least, it’s the biggest upheaval since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014.) For the sport’s 77^th season, it will feature all-new cars with active front and rear wings that can be adjusted while driving. The old — and highly controversial — Drag Reduction System (DRS) will be replaced by a ‘boost mode,’ which drivers can call upon strategically to deliver maximum additional electric power at the push of a button. Unlike DRS, boost mode can be used for overtaking or defending maneuvers.