Audi's new works F1 program got its first track time at Barcelona with the R26, the car that'll carry the marque's new hybrid power unit into 2026. Spy footage is already circulating, offering the first real glimpse at how Audi's interpreting the incoming regulations. The shakedown matters less for what we saw than what it signals: the German manufacturer is locked in.

Audi's new F1 powerplant got its first track time at Barcelona in the R26 test mule. The shakedown hits before the manufacturer fully commits to the grid in 2026, when the sport's hybrid engine regs shift again. Early data matters here—this is where hidden problems surface or confidence builds.

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.