Audi’s three-year plan – is specificity always good?

During the days of the Belgian race weekend, during a special press conference at the Spa, Audi’s drivers have officially confirmed that in 2026 its works team will make its debut in Formula 1, which will be created on the basis of one of the existing ones.

There were not so many details in their speeches, they did not even mention the team on which the ambitious project will be carried out, although it is already known that it will be the Swiss Sauber, who now plays in the World Cup as Alfa Romeo.

Audi board chairman Markus Duismann acknowledged that 2026 is almost around the corner, time is running out, so there will be serious pressure to do everything on time, but stressed that the team should have three years after the debut ” become very competitive”.

At the very least, for a carmaker like Audi, this could mean a battle for the podium, which could be considered a very bold statement, as there are two tasks to be solved at the same time: developing and building a competing power plant, also almost from scratch. to bring the infrastructure of the Hinwil team to the level of top teams,

That courage is justified when the project is presented to the board of directors of the company, because directors must be convinced of the expediency of a more than expensive project, captivated by promises of success in the foreseeable future.

Perhaps such goals cannot be called unrealistic, especially since Audi has a history of winning other prestigious racing series – in various GT championships, DTM and endurance races, most notably the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There is no doubt that the task of achieving success in Formula 1 in Ingolstadt is taken more than seriously.

However, the size and complexity of the project should not be underestimated. In particular, some analysts believe that Audi was in vain to name specific terms for which the future team should become competitive. This will really only increase the pressure, which will already be limiting.

Audi will become the first automaker since 2015 to undertake the creation of its own power plant – then Honda returned to Formula 1. Also, the German brand will be the first world-class brand to launch its own factory team in the recent history of the World Cup – before that, the French concern Renault took such a step before the 2016 season, after it bought the assets of Lotus.

Honda and Renault also set themselves very ambitious goals, but failed to achieve them.

Moreover, when they again recaptured their base in Enstone and engaged in its large-scale modernization, Renault already had more or less efficient and proven engines of its own design. And in Honda they limited themselves only to the construction of the power plant and became a partner of McLaren.

However, Renault’s works team, which changed its name to Alpine, took its first win last year and has yet to be classified as a strong middle farmer. Now she is in 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship, but she has fewer points than the leaders.

Sauber Motorsport’s position is still better than it was seven years ago at Lotus, but of course the Swiss team can’t really compete with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. To bring its infrastructure to the level of the frontrunners, Audi will have to invest a lot of money and make enormous efforts.

When we talk about Honda, it took this company five difficult years for the car with the Japanese power plant to finish first in the Grand Prix. But the price of success was so high that last year Honda management decided to close the factory program in Formula 1 again, although Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing won the title.

Audi will come to the World Cup in a slightly different situation: First, the technical regulations for engines, which will come into effect in 2026, are even simpler than those with which Japanese motorists built their power plants. Secondly, the German company has more time to prepare for its debut in Formula 1, but nevertheless the existing works teams have a lot of experience, which will give them a very significant advantage by default.

However, in Ingolstadt and in Hinwil they understand that one cannot count on quick victories and that it will take several years to reach the “project level”. How long it will take to accelerate is impossible to predict. Success in Formula 1 is not guaranteed to anyone, it can only be achieved through hard work – provided everything is done correctly or almost perfectly.

But Audi has potential, of course, there is no doubt about that. Formula 1 has moved on limited budgets, which makes it relatively easy for the German company to engage in financial planning – at least there is a guarantee that the project will not turn into a black hole in which hundreds of millions of euros will disappear with questionable returns.

And while the ambition is good, it is still hardly reasonable to set specific time parameters already at the “zero cycle” stage. If it is not possible to meet the set goals in time, it may cause some damage to the project.

Time flies by unnoticed, 2026 is coming soon. And already in 2028, everyone will evaluate what Audi will be able to do by this date and what will remain unrealized. We repeat: there is no point in guessing how things will turn out, but one thing is for sure: hard pressure on everyone involved and receiving this project is guaranteed.