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Although pre-season testing doesn’t officially start for another two weeks, Audi were the first Formula 1 team to take to the track with an early version of their 2026 car.
Every Formula 1 team will be extremely secretive about the designs they’ve come up with for 2026, but Audi have become the first outfit to tease what they’ve come up with.
Fans have been excited by hearing Audi’s car for the first time, but the German manufacturer won’t officially launch their F1 car until January 20.
What are your expectations for Audi’s debut F1 season in 2026?
Although no official footage has emerged from the 200km that Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto’s team completed, plenty of photos and grainy clips have been uncovered from the Circuit de Catalunya.
In particular, one detail from Audi’s new car might be slightly worrying to rivals Ferrari.
Ferrari switched from a push-rod front suspension to a pull-rod in the hopes that it would benefit them during the 2026 regulation changes.
It now looks like Audi have gone in the complete opposite direction to try and build the most competitive car possible.
READ MORE: All you need to know about the Audi F1 team from Sauber past to drivers
Audi switch to push-rod front suspension for the 2026 Formula 1 season
A report from Formula Uno Analisi Tecnica has shared more details about Audi’s 2026 car after analysing the various photos and videos taken from their filming day runs.
Plenty of fake images have emerged using AI since Audi’s test, but it now appears that Audi have made the switch to a push-rod front suspension.
The wishbones at the front of the Audi car appear to give away the switch away from pull-rod suspension for Audi, but this will only be confirmed once pre-season testing begins in Barcelona at the end of the month.
The flow of air around the front of the car is going to be crucial, and the new rules will hopefully make it easier for other drivers to follow each other, making overtaking easier.
Audi’s suspension change, according to F1AT, ‘allows for better interpenetration of the mechanicals with the mere management of the fluid mass.’
There’s a suspicion that this will create more outwash, negating the changes the FIA wanted to make that would have eliminated the turbulent slipstream to encourage overtaking.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Ferrari could be left even further behind if the Mercedes and Red Bull engine loophole isn’t closed
It’s going to be fascinating when the season starts to see whether Audi or Ferrari have made the right decision reversing their front suspensions to maximise the performance of their cars.
There’s no reason why they can’t both be right if the rest of the car is aerodynamically designed correctly to maximise performance.
Ferrari are set to protest a loophole Mercedes and Red Bull might have found when it comes to the new power units.
If Mercedes and Red Bull do get away with increasing the compression ratios of their combustion engines, then Ferrari will once again be on the back foot going into another F1 ruleset change.
Team principal Fred Vasseur will know that the pressure’s on, as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have high expectations following a disappointing 2025 campaign.
If Audi have already uncovered a mistake Ferrari made last season in preparation for this year, then they could be in serious trouble.
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