Audi is heading back to the very top of motorsport. After its victories in Endurance racing (especially at Le Mans), in Rallying and, more recently, at the Dakar, the German brand is now setting its sights on the most demanding and high-profile stage in racing.
Yet this is not simply a sporting move; it is also a strategic one. Audi certainly wants to win in Formula 1, but the real target sits beyond the circuit.
In the latest episode of Auto Rádio, a Razão Automóvel podcast supported by PiscaPisca.pt, we spoke with Marília Machado dos Santos, Managing Director of Audi Portugal, to understand what is truly at stake in this new chapter for the German marque.
More than winning races
Audi’s move into Formula 1 comes at a time when the championship itself is shifting, having strengthened the electric component of the power units in its single-seaters from this year onwards.
On top of that, the FIA’s new regulations also require the use of 100% sustainable fuels, synthetically produced from urban waste, non-food biomass and carbon capture.
This updated framework was a decisive factor behind Audi’s entry into Formula 1. It becomes less about pure performance alone and more of a technology laboratory with a direct influence on road cars. That is precisely where Audi sees the value.
A bet with its own rules
The German manufacturer has not taken the easiest route. In other words, it has not simply gone shopping in the market for the key components of its car. Instead, backed by the former Sauber structure, it chose to develop its own power unit from the ground up, as well as the gearbox.
That raises the risk, but it also means that any success, if it comes, will belong entirely to Audi.
This choice also underlines the brand’s long-term commitment to the category, which positions itself as a stage for validating ideas, technologies and brand positioning.
On that last point, Marília Machado dos Santos highlighted Formula 1’s popularity among younger audiences-a "slice" of potential customers (now or in the future) that every brand wants to reach. Audi, naturally, is no exception.
Several seasons on the horizon
The Formula 1 entry is happening now, but it is a project running through to the end of the decade, with the brand aiming to climb to at least the constructors’ podium by 2030.
Between now and then-particularly after the European Commission’s retreats on emissions policies-the plan is to keep doubling down on electrified models, whether fully electric or plug-in hybrids.
To make that happen, what is learned on the track will be crucial: from energy-management software, to battery cooling, and even power delivery.
Decades ago, during NASCAR’s golden era in the USA, Bob Tasca immortalised the line "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday". Times have changed, as have the industry’s challenges, but the underlying principle remains as relevant as ever.
See you on Auto Rádio next week
There is, therefore, no shortage of reasons to watch or listen to the latest episode of Auto Rádio, which returns next week on the usual platforms: YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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