Audi's R26 hits Barcelona first—and it matters more than you think
Audi gets early track time with the R26 on January 9, running Hulkenberg and Bortoleto through a filming day at Barcelona. It's not glamorous, but being first to shake down your new chassis in anger—even in a controlled setting—is the kind of advantage that compounds over a season. The bean counters love the optics; the engineers love the data.
Audi's been talking about F1 for years. Now they're finally putting rubber down. Whether the R26 is competitive is still a question mark, but at least they're asking it faster than everyone else.
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