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Audi will hope that their Formula 1 debut during the 2026 season goes smoother than their team launch on Tuesday after accidentally revealing details about their car twice.
Berlin played host to Audi earlier this week, as the German outfit unveiled the race livery for the R26 that Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg will drive in 2026. Audi have taken over Sauber to enter F1 for the first time as a full-blown factory team fielding a works power unit.
The Audi F1 project has been gaining pace for the past four years, after the iconic four rings first confirmed plans to join the grid in 2022. Audi’s engine department in Neuburg has also been designing an engine to debut as a works team under F1’s 2026 regulations since 2022.
Audi became the first team to put their 2026 F1 car on a track after holding a filming day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at the start of January. Bortoleto and Hulkenberg ran in an unbranded R26 in Montmelo but will race with a silver livery with red and black touches.
Instant reaction to Audi’s first livery?
Audi accidentally revealed their ‘striking’ nose design at their 2026 livery launch
Audi revealed their livery at their team launch in Berlin on Tuesday, which was not meant to reveal any technical details about the R26. Auto Motor und Sport reports that Audi planned to share more details about their car after the official Barcelona shakedown test next week.
READ MORE: All you need to know about the Audi F1 team from Sauber past to drivers
Yet, despite the team’s intentions, Audi twice revealed images of the R26 that they intend to use in 2026 during the event. Images of Bortoleto and Hulkenberg’s 2026 car flashed across the screen during Audi’s dress rehearsal and were also shown again during their live stream.
Audi intended to reveal their livery using the concept renders that the FIA released to show what cars would look like under the 2026 regulations. But Audi showed their ‘striking’ nose design, which does not taper towards the tip like the renders that rival teams had released.
Red Bull are expected to take a race-ready car to the first 2026 pre-season test
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Unlike the nose cones shown on the renders of Red Bull, Racing Bulls and Haas’ 2026 cars, which all taper to leave a flatter element above the end of the front wing, the nose cone on the R26 that Audi revealed by mistake appeared to have a more bulbous design throughout.
Rival teams like Red Bull, Racing Bulls and Haas may have different designs compared to the renders they released once their cars finally hit a track. Red Bull will take a race-ready car to the first 2026 test in Barcelona, having opted not to stage a shakedown or a filming day first.
Other issues also remain to be resolved before the first test next week. Audi are concerned that Mercedes have found a loophole in F1’s 2026 engine regulations to increase their rate of combustion from the 16:1 limit the FIA tests in static conditions to 18:1 during operation.
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