‘To become competitive, we need to stay humble’: Audi prioritizing learning over results for first F1 season

Audi has to display an ability to learn quickly rather than set tangible targets for its debut season in Formula 1, according to the head of the F1 project Mattia Binotto.

The livery for the R26 – Audi’s 2026 car – was unveiled in Berlin on Tuesday, with Audi choosing to keep design details around the car itself under wraps despite shaking a version of it down in Spain earlier this month. The former Sauber team has already outlined a plan to fight for titles by the end of the decade, but Binotto said in order to get there it needs to show rapid development rather than chase specific results from the outset.

“We are first aiming to fight for a championship in 2030, and we will have milestones starting from 2026,” Binotto said. “We have long discussed what should be the objective for 2026. Can we make it tangible? Should we look at the ranking in the constructors’ in the championship? Should we look at how many points scored at the end of the season? But I think as a first year for us, that would be the wrong approach.

“I think it's for us to become competitive, we need to stay humble. There is much to learn. And for us, it's more about the attitude. It's being there, learning, continuously learning, and I think that's really what we need to do.

“Becoming competitive means that somehow average is not an option anymore. And we know exactly where we need to go, what's the journey. And it's simply working hard, getting there, and somehow becoming more and more serious as well for our competitors.”

Speaking on stage before the livery was revealed, Binotto says the first pre-season for the team is a significant time after a number of years of preparation for Audi to enter as a full works manufacturer with its own power unit.

“It's a lot of pride," he said. "It's a lot of excitement. No doubt, it has been a lot of work for the entire teams – both in Hinwil and Neuburg – to be prepared, to have a car ready, a car developed, but a team to be built.

“I think it's certainly a lot of pride and excitement. It's also awareness. We are just at the beginning of our journey. It's a starting point. We are conscious that there are a lot of challenges ahead of us. But as well, I think on the other side, we are ready for it. We are ready to face a challenge. We are ready to grow, to build, and to continue to learn.”