Audi in Formula One

German car manufacturer Audi has competed in Formula One as a constructor and power unit manufacturer since 2026. Audi Motorsport AG, competing as Audi Revolut F1 Team, was formed through the acquisition of Sauber Motorsport, with power units developed by Audi Formula Racing GmbH.

Prior to World War II, Audi's predecessor Auto Union contested Grand Prix motor racing from 1935 to 1939. Audi announced their intention to acquire Sauber—who debuted in 1993—and its Swiss facilities in 2022, ahead of new power unit and chassis regulations in 2026. The project expanded to a power unit facility in Bavaria and a technology centre in the "Motorsport Valley" of Oxfordshire, England.

Whilst the modern Audi company has never entered Grand Prix motor racing, its predecessor company Auto Union had competed in Grand Prix racing from 1935 to 1939, prior to World War II and the inception of the Formula One World Championship in 1950.

Auto Union was founded in 1932, during the Great Depression, as a merger of four struggling automotive firms: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. The following year, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler announced a state-sponsored motor racing programme with Mercedes-Benz. Upon request from Ferdinand Porsche, Hitler agreed that competition between two German firms would improve their chances of victory and national glory; an annual 500,000 ℛℳ (£40,000; £2,370,000 in 2023) prize for the most successful car between Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz was announced, eventually rising to 3,125,000 ℛℳ (£250,000; £14,810,000 in 2023) and prompting a heated rivalry.

Across five seasons in the AIACR European Championship, Auto Union won seven Grandes Épreuves and 14 non-championship Grands Prix. Bernd Rosemeyer claimed European Drivers' Championship in 1936, driving the Type C, with victories at the German, Swiss, and Italian Grands Prix. Hermann Paul Müller—driving the Type D—unofficially won the final edition in 1939, with the title not awarded due to the onset of World War II in Europe following the invasion of Poland. Auto Union was later absorbed by Volkswagen in 1964, becoming the modern-day Audi company.

The antecedent constructor to Audi based in Hinwil—Sauber—made its Formula One debut in 1993, having contested sportscar racing since 1970. The team was partnered with Mercedes-Benz until 1994, Ford until 1996, and Ferrari (rebadged as Petronas) until 2005, before becoming the factory team for BMW from 2006 to 2009. Sauber claimed its highest finishes in the World Constructors' Championship with second and third in 2007 and 2008, respectively, the former after a disqualification for McLaren and the latter including its sole victory at the Canadian Grand Prix with Robert Kubica. It returned as an independent constructor in 2010 with Ferrari engines, repurchased by Peter Sauber following the Great Recession and a failed shell company acquisition. A title sponsorship deal with Alfa Romeo in 2018 led to a full rebrand from 2019 to 2023, after which it switched to support from Stake and Kick.

In August 2022, Audi announced that it would enter Formula One as a power unit manufacturer in 2026—the planned year for a regulation overhaul. That October, Audi confirmed its rumoured partnership with Sauber, acquiring a stake in the company for a full rebrand and power unit deal. In November 2024, the Qatar Investment Authority purchased a minority stake in the team. The investment was described as a "substantial minority" stake in Sauber Holding AG, with Audi and QIA stating that the funding would support the expansion of personnel and facilities ahead of the team's planned 2026 entry.

Veteran midfield driver Nico Hülkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto joined Sauber on separate multi-year contracts from 2025 onwards, thus becoming Audi's driver lineup upon its debut. Neel Jani was signed as a simulator driver to assist with car development. By July of that year, Sauber opened the Sauber Motorsport Technology Centre in Bicester Motion, Oxfordshire, with the aim of attracting specialised personnel to join the team in the "Motorsport Valley" region of England. The technology centre aims to complement the primary headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland, where the chassis is constructed.