Audi become first team to debut 2026 F1 car on track in Barcelona shakedown
- Henry Eccles
- Jan 9
- 2 min read
Images of a mysterious all-black Audi R26 have spread online, as the German team debuted their 2026 challenger ahead of their rivals at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday.
Several photos and videos of the R26 - all with varying degrees of credibility - were posted to social media, as Audi completed what The Race reported as a ‘successful’ filming day shakedown of their first ever F1 car.
In line with ‘Promotional Events’ regulations, the R26 was allowed to cover up to 200km - split equally between drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto - and was fitted with Pirelli’s ‘demonstration’ tyres, rather than the compounds to be used in official testing and Grands Prix this year.
In a statement issued to The Race, Audi said: “The filming day was an opportunity to check the full functionality of the car ahead of the start of the season.
“The team's focus for the day was not on car handling or performance, as those will be the scope for pre-season testing, starting in Barcelona at the end of the month.”
Audi will return to Barcelona for what is being described as unofficial testing, arranged by the 11 teams between January 26-30, before two official pre-season tests get underway in Bahrain in February.
Shakedown comes after ‘significant milestone’ announced
Two days prior to Audi’s run-out in Barcelona, the team announced they had successfully fired up their 2026 car for the first time – taking place at their Chassis and Race Operation facility on December 19th, 2025.
In a press release on Wednesday, Audi marked the moment as a "tangible result" of cross-functional collaboration between their powertrain division in Neuberg, chassis team in Hinwil, and their new Technical Center in Bicester.
Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley said: “This successful fire-up is a critical milestone that validates the quality of the work and collaboration across all departments.
“It energises the entire team and provides a clear focus as we prepare for the next phases of development, including the moment we first bring the car to track. This achievement brings our first race in Melbourne into sharp focus, and we will build on this foundation as one united team.”
When will Audi’s actual R26 be revealed?
F1 fans will get their first proper look at the R26 on January 20th at a launch event in Berlin, where the full race livery and ‘on-track identity’ of Audi’s first ever F1 car will be revealed – less than 50 days before F1 2026 kicks off in Melbourne.
The exclusive launch will then be followed up with a public opening on January 21st, allowing fans to be a part of the historic moment.
Audi's R26 Concept car - Getty Images
In December, Audi previously revealed the ‘R26 Concept’ at the team’s Brand Experience Center in Munich, offering a ‘preview’ of their 2026 car’s colour scheme and design.
Despite winning everything there is to win in motorsport - including 13 victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and four World Rally Championships - Audi are entering F1 for the first time since the championship’s inception in 1950.
The German manufacturing giant takes over from Sauber, a private team that had been in the sport since 1993.
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