Audi has revealed the definitive livery it will carry for its debut season in Formula 1 – even though its actual 2026 car design is still being officially kept under wraps.
At a season launch event held in Berlin on Tuesday night, Audi pulled the covers off the final version of the titanium, red and black design that it showed off in concept form late last year.
The colours were displayed on a show car, with Audi's actual R26 challenger being kept out of the public spotlight still, despite having completed a shakedown at Barcelona last week.
That car will reappear during the first pre-season test at Barcelona next week, although that event is taking place behind closed doors.
Title push for 2030
Audi's arrival in F1 comes at the start of all-new regulations, and it laid out its ‘Mission 2030' target to win the championship by the start of the next decade.
In a bold statement as part of its launch material Audi declared: "Our goal is to win championships by 2030. We have a structured plan for a deliberate ascent."
While gunning for a title in five years' time is a pragmatic timeframe, Audi still faces huge challenges in going up against experienced manufacturers such as Mercedes and Ferrari.
Team principal Jonathan Wheatley said Audi could not get complacent and think that results would come automatically just because it is a major carmaker.
"You have to be realistic about where you're starting from, and you also have to be humble about the challenge that's ahead of you," he said.
"You don't beat teams like Ferrari and Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren. You don't just turn up and beat them because you're Audi Formula 1. That's not how it works.
"You need a plan. Our plan is to be a challenger and then a competitor and then a champion. It's important as a journey, and that people understand that journey."
Its technical director James Key reckoned that Audi has what it takes to deliver over the long term, though.
Asked at the launch about if he felt the 2030 target was realistic, he said: "Seeing the ambition behind the team and the plan ahead, I like to think it is absolutely
"We're giving ourselves some time because we're realistic. We know that we haven't got everything in place, and we need to be absolutely on top immediately.
"But we also recognise that every single team is a competitor to Audi. It's not the so-called midfield anymore.
"So we have to be there. And obviously we're looking at what steps we need to make to give ourselves the best opportunity of hitting that. So it's a very clear ambition, not just from us, but from the whole operation."
