Formula 1

F1 2026 mid-season grades: Audi gets off to solid start on works debut

Motorsport.com grades all 11 teams after the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Next up is Audi, which is building on Sauber's foundations to make an encouraging start as a works team

Filip Cleeren

Published: Aug 9, 2026, 11:04 AM

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Team Report card Audi

Photo by: Motorsport.com

When Audi presented its F1 project in Berlin last winter, it set an explicit goal of winning world championships by 2030. The German giant is used to success in any motorsport discipline it enters, whether that be endurance or the Dakar Rally, but it also acknowledged the long road it would have to walk to get there.

Audi heads into the summer break eighth in the standings on 12 points after starting to convert its pace into points over the month of July.

The good

Building on the foundations of an underfunded Sauber team in Switzerland, Audi took on the additional challenge of producing its first-ever F1 power unit in Neuburg.

The 2026 season was always going to be about building those foundations. But while going through a long point-less streak between scoring in Melbourne's season opener and eighth place in round 10 in Britain, Audi improved its overall package to be competitive at the front of the midfield at power-hungry circuits like Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, which was a real shot in the arm for the squad.

Its choice to pair experience with exciting young talent in veteran Nico Hulkenberg and the remarkable Gabriel Bortoleto has also paid dividends thus far.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images

The bad

It's no surprise to anyone that Audi's power unit – while respectable for a first-time effort – is not up to par with the likes of Mercedes. That snowballs into higher battery deployment, while the team has also suffered from abysmal starts throughout the first half of the season.

It has also suffered from a few early crippling reliability issues which have prevented both of its drivers from making it to the start of a race. Hulkenberg has been particularly unlucky, highlighted by a freak incident in Austria where a piece of gravel engaged his car's kill switch.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

What they're saying

Mattia Binotto, Audi F1 project CEO: "We're on track with the plan we set for ourselves and everything is going as expected. If you don't yet have all the people, tools, and space you need, you can't expect extraordinary results overnight. Today, in effect, we're still the Sauber of last year, with everything we're building on top. Changing ownership, brand, or car livery isn't enough to suddenly find yourself with 300 more people, new facilities, and better tools.

"On the one hand, there are very high ambitions, on the other, we need to accept that growth takes time. This is where you need to be patient and learn to manage some frustration. Regarding the power unit, it's a long-term project and I'm convinced Audi will have a top-notch power unit within a couple of seasons. Regarding the chassis, however, I'm very satisfied."

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