Date:ย August 26, 2022
Location:ย Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium
Launch Event: Audi F1 Project Launch at 2022 Belgian Grand Prix
Type:ย F1 display car
Series: F1
Status:ย Audi collection
Category:ย Motorsport / Showcars
OVERVIEW
Audi revealed this Formula 1 showcar at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 26, 2022, using the Belgian Grand Prix weekend to announce its planned entry into the FIA Formula One World Championship for the 2026 season. Finished in a purpose-designed Audi launch livery, the car provided the first physical representation of the companyโs forthcoming Formula 1 program.
The display model was not a prototype of Audiโs eventual race car. Its bodywork was based on the generic Formula 1 showcar form created around the technical regulations introduced for the 2022 season, providing Audi with a contemporary canvas for its announcement several years before its own chassis would exist.
DESIGN
The launch livery combined exposed black surfaces with silver and red graphics. The four rings appeared prominently on the engine cover, nose and front wing, while red gradients and geometric patterns provided a visual connection to Audiโs existing motorsport identity.
This first version can be identified by its relatively smooth, rounded sidepods, simple floor edges and the red rings applied around its black wheel covers. Its nose and front-wing assembly also followed the simplified form of the original 2022 Formula 1 display-car design.
Although frequently described in coverage as an Audi Formula 1 car, the showcar contained no Audi-developed chassis, power unit or other competition hardware. Its purpose was to communicate the brandโs intended arrival in Formula 1 and provide a centerpiece for media, motor-show and promotional appearances.
FORMULA 1 ANNOUNCEMENT
Audi initially announced its participation as a power-unit manufacturer. Development was assigned to the newly established Audi Formula Racing GmbH at the Audi Competence Center Motorsport in Neuburg an der Donau. The company subsequently confirmed Sauber as its strategic partner on October 26, 2022, establishing the foundation for an Audi factory team from 2026.
The launch showcar predated that Sauber announcement and carried no team or partner branding. It represented Audiโs Formula 1 intentions at the brand level rather than a preview of a specific race-team identity.
DISPLAY HISTORY
Following its unveiling at Spa-Francorchamps, the showcar was displayed at Audiโs headquarters in Ingolstadt and appeared at promotional events connected with the Formula 1 project. It was also shown during a presentation of Audiโs Formula 1 plans in Madrid in October 2022.
Audi brought the launch-livery showcar to Auto Shanghai from April 18 through 27, 2023, where it formed a central part of the companyโs display under the theme โF1 Power made in Germany.โ It subsequently appeared at the Geneva International Motor Show Qatar in Doha in October 2023.
Photographs from these appearances show the same original aerodynamic configuration and red-ringed wheel covers seen at Spa.
SECOND SHOWCAR VERSION
By June 2024, Audi publicity photographs showed a visibly different Formula 1 display car wearing essentially the same launch livery. The later version featured plain black wheel covers, more angular sidepods, cooling louvres, a more developed floor edge and revised front-wing and nose forms.
Audi continued to use the generic description โShowcar with Audi F1 launch liveryโ for both designs and did not announce the later display car as a separate model. For archival purposes, however, their substantial physical differences justify documenting them as distinct showcar configurations.
The first version is confirmed in public use from August 2022 through at least October 2023. Its subsequent retention means that this should not be interpreted as a definitive retirement date.
SIGNIFICANCE
The 2022 showcar was the first vehicle publicly presented with Audi Formula 1 branding. Although it contained no Audi-developed racing technology, it became the principal visual symbol of the program during its formative period, preceding the Sauber acquisition, formation of the complete factory team and development of Audiโs first operational Formula 1 racing car.
It also preserves an early presentation of Audiโs Formula 1 identity, created while the project was still communicated primarily as an Audi power-unit program rather than as a fully integrated factory team.
PHOTO GALLERY
