Audi CEO shares progress of sustainable Formula 1 project at Auto Shanghai

Audi CEO Markus Duesmann during the Audi press conference at Auto Shanghai 2023 Copyright: AUDI AG

(IN BRIEF) Audi is presenting its Formula 1 project at the Auto Shanghai event in China for the first time. The brand’s CEO, Markus Duesmann, provided insight into the project’s current progress, which will see Audi compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with its own factory team and power unit developed in Germany from 2026. The company is focusing on sustainability and cost efficiency, and has selected Sauber as its strategic partner. The regulations that will apply from 2026 emphasize greater electrification, with the electric drivetrain having almost as much power as the combustion engine, and the engines being powered by sustainable synthetic fuel.

(PRESS RELEASE) INGOLSTADT, 18-Apr-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Audi, a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles and part of Volkswagen Group, is showcasing its Formula 1 project in China for the first time at Auto Shanghai from April 18 to 27. The F1 show car, featuring the striking Audi Launch Livery, is a centerpiece of the brand’s presence at the event. During the press conference, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann provided insight into the progress of the project, which is set to enter the top class of motorsport under the motto “F1 Power made in Germany.”

“Motorsport is an integral part of our DNA,” said Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, at Auto Shanghai. “We are convinced that our Formula 1 commitment will strengthen Audi’s sporting focus. The racing series is continuously increasing its global reach, especially among young target groups and in our most important sales market: China.”

“The Audi Formula 1 project has really taken off in recent months,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “In the ongoing concept phase of the power unit, the foundation of our drivetrain for 2026 is being laid today. We attach great importance to detail work, for example on materials or manufacturing technologies, and we also focus on topics such as the energy management of the hybrid drivetrain. After all, efficiency is a key success factor for Formula 1 and the mobility of the future, these approaches will advance both worlds,” says Hoffmann.

From 2026, Audi will compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with its own factory team and a power unit developed in Germany. Despite the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit being cancelled for the fourth consecutive year due to the pandemic, Audi is excited to give Chinese Formula 1 fans a preview of its future involvement in the top class of motorsport.

To provide valuable insights into the development and testing of the measuring instruments, a single-cylinder engine has been tested since the end of 2022. The first full hybrid drivetrain unit, consisting of the combustion engine, electric motor, battery, and electronic control unit, is scheduled to run on the test bench before the end of this year and will form the basis for the future vehicle concept. Moreover, the dynamic development simulator in Neuburg will be brought up to Formula 1 standards to further advance the development of the Audi power unit.

Audi’s facility in Neuburg a. d. Donau is in full swing with the build-up of the team under the newly formed Audi Formula Racing GmbH. The team is already composed of more than 260 specialists, including experienced Audi Sport and Audi employees with diverse expertise in electric motorsport. By the end of the year, the team is expected to consist of over 300 employees, including specialists with Formula 1 expertise who have been sourced externally to strengthen the team.

To support the Formula 1 project, the Competence Center Motorsport in Neuburg will be expanded with additional test rigs for power unit development installed in a new building with a floor area of around 3,000 square meters. The state-of-the-art test rigs will be operational before the building is fully completed in early 2024. The facility is supplied with district heating from industrial waste heat and green electricity from hydroelectric power plants, making it CO₂-neutral. Audi’s goal is to continue to provide CO₂-neutral energy for the Formula 1 project in Neuburg and establish a regenerative energy supply at the facility.

In line with the new regulations that will apply from 2026, Formula 1 is focusing on greater electrification, with the electric drivetrain (MGU-K) having almost as much power as the combustion engine. The highly efficient 1.6-liter turbocharged engines will be powered by sustainable synthetic fuel, contributing to the series’ goal of being carbon neutral¹ by 2030.

Audi’s entry into Formula 1 was based on the focus on sustainability and cost efficiency through the “cost cap.” The brand has selected the experienced Swiss racing team Sauber as its strategic partner for the deployment of an Audi factory team in Formula 1 from 2026.

For more information about Audi at Auto Shanghai 2023, please click here: https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/presskits/audi-at-auto-shanghai-2023-15291

¹Audi understands net-zero carbon emissions to mean a situation in which, after other possible reduction measures have been exhausted, the company offsets the carbon emitted by Audi’s products or activities and/or the carbon emissions that currently cannot be avoided in the supply chain, manufacturing, and recycling of Audi vehicles through voluntary offsetting projects carried out worldwide. In this context, carbon emissions generated during a vehicle’s utilization stage, i.e., from the time it is delivered to the customer, are not considered.

Media contact:

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Phone +49 841 89 89615
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benedikt.still@f1project.audi

SOURCE: AUDI AG