Audi in Formula 1: The newcomer with electric expertise

DThe silver briefcase with which Nico Hülkenberg enters the improvised paddock in Melbourne’s Albert Park looks like a prop from a spy film. Hülkenberg’s step is piercing, and so are his eyes. He knows the cameras are on him. The only thing missing is that the Audi works driver had the stylish utensil chained to his arm.

The only German in the Formula 1 field looks like a traveling salesman. In fact, there is a highly explosive sample of goods in the hand luggage: a liter of the new racing fuel, which must be 100 percent sustainable this season. The 38-year-old carries the gasoline sample for a walk on behalf of a British gas station company that exclusively supplies the Ingolstadt racing team and has developed a slogan that can be applied to the entire ambitious project for the first appearance at the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday: “Deliver what counts.”

It is a historic racing weekend in Audi’s rich sporting history. But that’s not all. Formula 1 is also facing the biggest technical upheaval in its history, and the car manufacturer Audi wants to capitalize on it for marketing purposes. In fact, the drastic rule change that in the future almost half of the 1000 hp must come from an electric motor is tailored precisely to the Volkswagen Group company. Otherwise the brand would not have ventured into the popular and highly competitive sporting terrain.

Especially since the electrical expertise was already present among the Lords of the Four Rings. Racing as sustainably as possible is good for the image and acceptance, but above all the development gap under the old technical regulations would have been too great compared to established teams such as McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes. And the merciless paragraph of Formula 1 legislation applies especially to brands with sporting and technical ambitions: namely, the one that states that the runner-up is already considered the first loser.

The engines come from Neuburg an der Donau, the operations team is based in Hinwil in the Zurich Oberland, and there is also an engineering branch in central England

What exactly would be a success for the career changers is a matter of opinion. The Swiss Sauber racing team, which was completely taken over by Audi over several tranches in January 2025, finished last season in penultimate place in the constructors’ world championship. Improving this result is not a wish, but an obligation. Doing better than the completely new Cadillac team, which initially relied primarily on rental materials from Ferrari, is a similar minimum requirement. In principle, things are tighter and more stubborn in the midfield of Formula 1 than at the front, and this fighting spirit is being multiplied this year by the extremely complex new regulations. Opportunities and risks therefore appear as clear as in roulette.

There is some evidence to suggest that the current pecking order will be retained, but on the other hand, a fundamental change in this highly technical sport also promotes inventiveness. Audi’s southern German local rival Mercedes, for example, has gained a performance advantage from its engines through a – legal – compression trick. Mercedes driver George Russell, who is also one of the directors of the drivers’ union, is delighted with the new tasks with all due respect: “Every change in the rules opens up new opportunities for all those who have not been able to win before.” Beating Mercedes would be a huge success for Audi, which is only planned at the end of the five-year plan drawn up by the board. Because then at the latest it has to be about the title.

This form of planned economy may be widespread in German corporate headquarters, but in Formula 1 forecasts always only have a very limited half-life. This not only has to do with the constant technical change, but also with the constantly growing demands: the pressure from outside and inside formulates the actual expectations. There is no bonus for newcomers, especially not for factory racing teams. And if Nico Hülkenberg was able to land on the podium for the first time with a Sauber last year, then repetition becomes the minimum requirement.

The German veteran in the cockpit of the titanium-colored R26 racing car likes to say that Audi is still a young team: “There is still room for improvement in all areas.” The racing team boss Jonathan Wheatley, who was headhunted by Red Bull Racing, initially attributes the success of the racing team, whose workforce has doubled from 450 to 900 people last year, to a rather soft value: “Creating a culture in which positive thinking is the norm.” For the manager, whose career began at the time of Michael Schumacher’s world championship title with the Benetton team, it is always about the right inner drive, which he puts it like this: “Self-confidence without complacency.”

The concept is spread across people at three locations: the engines come from the specially built racing factory in Neuburg an der Donau, the operations team and the wind tunnel are located in Hinwil in the Zurich Oberland, and there is also an engineering branch in central England.

The Brit at the command post is humble, not just out of calculation, but also out of experience: “We know where we want to go – we want Audi to become the most successful team in history.” This not only follows the approach of Audi boss Gernot Döllner, for whom the team should serve as a role model for the entire company as a “speedboat”. If you want to become a challenger, you first have to challenge yourself. This is definitely ambitious, and the CEO urgently needs success. In Formula 1, the manager, who was initially anything but enthusiastic about the project he had inherited from his predecessors, learned to love the intense competitive spirit.

But Nico Hülkenberg doesn’t like betting on place either: “For us, it’s also about making progress. We want to grow over the course of the year, be competitive, we want to score points.” The ideal case would of course be to not only regularly finish in the points, but also to position yourself behind the big four (McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull). From beginner to advanced at racing speed.