The first secrets of Audi’s 2026 F1 car revealed

The first images of the Audi R26, taken during its filming day in Barcelona, although captured from a distance, have nevertheless revealed several distinctive details of the car. 

In general, it is also interesting to note that, compared to the 2025 cars, there is a noticeable reduction in overall size, both in terms of width and wheelbase.

At the front, the sloping nose is connected to the main plane of the front wing via two short pillars. More interesting, however, is the lower profile of the nose, which is heavily sculpted to increase airflow beneath the chassis – an approach we already anticipated in our preview of the Ferrari SF26 published a few days ago on RN365. 

The airflow will, in fact, need to be split into two streams: a lower flow directed towards the floor and an upper flow feeding the sidepod inlets.

On the R26, these inlets are positioned at cockpit height, in the upper section, as seen on the 2025 cars. Particularly striking is the sidepod undercut, which is extremely wide along its entire length and very deep, finishing in a highly tapered rear section.

The suspension layout features push-rod systems on both axles, while the oval-shaped air inlet for the power unit is also noteworthy. From the rear, the diffuser appears to have a significantly narrower section than those seen on the 2025 cars. 

More specifically, the rear bodywork is quite tall and straight, clearly highlighting the central hot-air outlet from the power unit. This is without ruling out the possibility that, at the base of the engine cover and particularly for hotter Grands Prix, cooling gills could be added – similar to those seen on previous 2025 cars.

The wings appear extremely basic in their design, closely mirroring the renders distributed by the FIA over the course of last season. 

It is evident that forming a more in-depth assessment is virtually impossible given the lack of close-up details of the car, which are further obscured by the deliberately dark, neutral livery designed to camouflage its shapes.

Overall, however, the car demonstrates how teams can still differentiate their designs, particularly through the internal fluid-dynamics layout of the power unit. The volumes of the latter appear unchanged in the lower section, while the engine cover – featuring a prominent shark fin – appears narrower and lower overall.

With it only being a shakedown test, expect changes to the car between now, pre-season testing and the season-opener in Australia. Nevertheless, it is a positive moment for Audi's F1 arrival.