This week marks the U.S. Grand Prix — a time when the entire Formula 1 circus heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the 19th round of the 2025 F1 season. With just five rounds remaining, anticipation for Audi’s official arrival on the 2026 grid continues to build.
Publishing this site, the progress of the F1 season and Audi’s impending debut are certainly top of mind. Given that I also operate the @4Rings.AI Instagram account — which uses the latest AI image-generation tools to create imagined visuals with automotive themes — another point of focus has been Adobe and its latest Nano Banana functionality.
With an AI engine powered by Google, this new toolset introduces a remarkable level of capability to the image-making workflow. It excels at adjusting the angle of a subject, refining details, and generating new backgrounds — all with impressive realism.
The idea behind this photo set was to create imagery celebrating the U.S. Grand Prix. In an effort to keep things as true-to-life as possible, I used Audi’s existing F1 show car as the visual reference — a model with plenty of documented imagery. Audi will undoubtedly update the design of its cars ahead of next season, as the current livery dates back to 2022 — practically an eternity in F1 design terms. Even so, using it as a reference point helps reduce the number of liberties the AI might take — realism remains the goal.
For the renderings, I made just one change: adding race numbers — #27 for Hülkenberg and #5 for Bortoleto — to the car. I then placed it within a Circuit of the Americas-inspired setting. Is it a perfect replica of COTA? Not quite. I’ve driven the track and photographed it during FIA WEC events when Audi Sport competed, as well as during an R18 test session. I’ve also lapped it myself in Audi driving experience cars. The background you see here isn’t an exact match, but it’s convincing enough to fool those who haven’t been there — and maybe even some who have.
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter Destination Unknown, it’s hard to predict where this all leads. The capabilities these tools now offer to everyday users are astounding. One wonders how professional designers will continue to evolve and redefine their craft when enthusiasts like me can build convincing visuals in minutes. It’s both fascinating and a little intimidating.
As for the real U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas — good luck to the KICK Sauber F1 Team and its drivers. Here’s hoping they close out the season on a high note.
PHOTO GALLERY
