Jonathan Wheatley Gives Progress Report on Audi’s 2026 Formula 1 Power Unit

[Source: Autoevolution]

Audi will make its much-anticipated Formula 1 debut in 2026, and we are consuming every bit of available information like a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The latest information morsel comes to us courtesy of a report by Autoevolution. They reported that Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley has confirmed that the power unit is on track for Audi’s first Formula 1 race in 2026.

Audi is certainly no stranger to motorsports as they have been victorious in everything from endurance to rally racing. But Formula 1 is whole different ball game. Audi’s sister company Porsche has also dominated several motorsports series over the years but has never had much success in Formula 1. Audi is hoping they have better luck and that will rely heavily on having a competitive power unit.

It had been reported recently by Autoracer, that Audi has attempted to sign two senior figures from Ferrari’s engine program. That includes Ferrari engine chief Wolf Zimmerman and his deputy Lars Schmidt. Ferrari has a total of 16 Constructors’ titles in Formula 1 which is more than anyone else. They have struggled a bit in recent years, but going to Ferrari for engine help is never a bad idea.

We still have seven months to wait to see how the Audi Formula 1 car will do, but Wheatley is happy with the progress thus far. “We are on schedule with our dyno program,” said Wheatley to the media. “The engine’s been on the dyno for a while now. The focus now is on reliability because, as you say, we’ll be running the car in an incredibly short period of time,” Wheatley told Autoevolution.

What Wheatley doesn’t know yet is what the performance will be like. “Our simulator program naturally starts to lean towards 2026 as well. But I think in both of those programs, it’s a little bit too early to talk about performance. And of course, we won’t really know any of this until the first qualifying session and the first race in Melbourne.”

The Sauber team which will become Audi next year is showing vast improvement compared to 2024. Although the team missed out on points at Azerbaijan this past weekend, they have 55 points for the year with seven races to go. That is far better than the four points they managed for the entire 2024 season. Will this translate to success in 2026? We will find out beginning in March 2026.