Audi has unveiled its livery as the fourth team, and makes no secret of its Formula 1 ambitions. Although the German outfit only begins its first season in the top category this year after taking over Sauber, Audi is already looking ahead. The team hopes to be fighting for world titles by 2030. “We want to make Audi the most successful F1 team in history,” says team principal Jonathan Wheatley.
The Audi team presented its first Formula 1 livery on Tuesday evening. The German outfit has officially taken over Swiss Sauber, something immediately visible in the colour scheme – silver with black and red. For team principal Jonathan Wheatley the launch in Berlin was a “historic moment”.
“We’re not here to play, this is an ambitious project,” says the former sporting director of Red Bull. “We’re humble, but we know where we start and we know where we want to go.” Still, Audi does not hide its ambitions. “We want to make Audi the most successful F1 team in history,” Wheatley declares. “There are milestones on that journey and we start today.” The next stops on Audi’s journey are the test days in Barcelona.
Audi executive Gernot Döllner was quick to pin a short deadline on when the F1 team hopes to be competing at the top: “It is our ambition to perform at the highest level and by 2030 to contend for championships.”
2026
Despite Audi’s ambition to one day fight for world titles, the team remains modest about 2026. “We discussed at length what our objectives for 2026 should be, whether that is championship positions or points. The point is to become competitive,” says Mattia Binotto, head of Audi’s Formula 1 project. “We must remain humble. There is still a lot to learn. It’s more about the attitude — we’re here to learn. And becoming competitive means being average is no longer an option.”
