The landmark outing comes as Audi edges closer to its long-awaited factory debut, with the former Sauber operation now fully rebranded as the Audi Revolut F1 Team and counting down to the start of the new technical era.
The R26 turned its first laps at Barcelona on Friday, with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto sharing driving duties across the day.
Although Audi has not released any clear imagery of the car, it did publish two deliberately obfuscated pitlane photographs from Barcelona — one a distant, colour front-on silhouette and the other a black-and-white rear view taken in the garage — as fan-shot video and images circulated online offering the first glimpse of a 2026-spec F1 car in motion.
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On track, the R26 ran in a subdued all-black appearance, consistent with Audi’s decision to keep its definitive design details hidden until its official launch in Berlin on January 20.
The team had previously unveiled a concept livery featuring titanium, carbon black and Audi red, but the Barcelona running was deliberately discreet.
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Despite the limited visibility, the footage confirmed several expected hallmarks of the new 2026 regulations.
The car appears noticeably narrower than its predecessor, with a raised nose and a front wing shaped to promote in-wash airflow, in line with the FIA’s renewed focus on wake control.
Passaggio sul rettilineo del Montmelo’ della Audi R26. Aspettare fino alla fine del video. #F1 #AudiF1 #R26 https://t.co/QqIAdp93nB
— RobertoF1 (@robertofunoat) January 9, 2026
The front suspension also marks a clear shift, with Audi reverting to a push-rod layout after Sauber had favoured pull-rod designs during the previous rules cycle.
Audi has stressed that the purpose of the day was not performance-related, but rather to ensure all systems operated as intended ahead of pre-season testing.
“The filming day was an opportunity to check the full functionality of the car ahead of the start of the season,” Audi told The Race in a statement.
“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’s appearance at Barcelona made it the first outfit to debut a full 2026 car and engine package, with the rest of the grid set to follow later this month.
All 11 teams will attend a private, behind-closed-doors test at the same circuit from January 26–30, before further testing in Bahrain across February 11–13 and February 18–20.
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