Our racing heritage

Our F1® journey began in 1906.

Our Formula 1® Journey
100+ Years In The Making

Racing has always been a core part of our DNA.

Motorsport has long shaped our approach to performance and progress. It’s where our most daring ideas and engineering advances are tested. From rally to endurance, each discipline has sharpened our driving spirit of Vorsprung durch Technik – our guiding principle that translated, means Advancement through Technology.

Formula 1^® isn’t a new direction. It’s the realisation of our legacy, and the natural next step.

World Rally Championship

02

World titles

DTM

12

Drivers' titles

Le Mans

13

Overall victories

Dakar Rally

01

First electric victory

Our track so far.

Every era of racing has moved us forward. From early victories to engineering firsts, each milestone has shaped how Audi engineers for the next race, and how we win. These are the moments that have led us here, to Formula 1®.

Our Origins

1900s

Audi's story begins with August Horch and the founding of a brand built on innovation, precision and performance.

August Horch

Founder of Audi

Silver Arrows

1930s

Auto Union is formed in 1932 by four German carmakers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer.

Its Silver Arrows, engineered for speed and aerodynamics, dominate Grand Prix racing for years, literally re-shaping the world of automotive design.

Type c

torque 853Nm @ 2,500RPM

peak output 520hp

top speed 300km/h

Bernd Rosemeyer

1936 European Champion

Legend in his own right

Darling of the masses

Quattro

1980s

1987 safari rally

200 Quattro

hannu mikkola/arne hertz

PIKES PEAK, COLORADO

1987 hillclimb event

Walter Röhrl

Audi quattro all-wheel drive changes rallying forever by introducing a permanent AWD system.

Audi sets a new benchmark for control, capability, and competitive dominance, proving that innovation can conquer any surface.

Le Mans // DTM

2000s

13 Le Mans wins in 18 years establish Audi as an endurance racing leader built on speed, strategy and technology.

12 DTM driver titles in the same era underline our dominance across disciplines.

Each victory reinforcing our north star – Vorsprung durch Technik.

2005 dtm

ABT-AUDI TT-R

LAURENT AIELLO

CHAMPION

2005 le mans

audi r8

kristensen / lehto / werner

victory for champion racing

Dakar Rally

2020s

2024 DAKAR RALLY

Audi RS Q e-tron

1st WIN WITH ELECTRIC DRIVETRAIN

SAINZ / CRUZ

The Audi RS Q e-tron claims the first Dakar Rally win with an electric drivetrain, engineered to perform in the harshest terrain on earth.

A milestone that shows sustainable technology can deliver at the highest level of motorsport.

The pinnacle of motorsport

08.03.26s

More than a century after Audi's motorsport journey began, Melbourne marked the beginning of Audi's Formula 1® journey with the Audi Revolut F1® Team making its long-awaited debut and securing its first championship points.

2005 dtm

ABT-AUDI TT-R

LAURENT AIELLO

CHAMPION

first F1® points

debut season

Albert Park, Melbourne

Every Victory Has Led Us Here

Four rings. One ambition.

A new era for Audi.

Formula 1® is entering a new era with lighter, more efficient cars and regulations that put sustainability at the forefront. It’s a shift that mirrors our approach to design and performance – making Melbourne the perfect stage for this debut.

Our power unit, developed at our CO2-neutral Neuburg facility, will combine a 50/50 hybrid system with 100% sustainable fuel – the most advanced specification in Formula 1®.

Discover more