If you’ve been online these last 24 hours then you probably have seen mentions of what we believe to be the new RS 5 being teased and even a few photos leaking out. In addition to that, there are several key dates/times/activities being brandied about that Audi enthusiasts may want to follow so I wanted to summarize here.
KEY DATES / TIMES / ACTIVITIES
Between F1 testing, the adidas x Audi Revolut F1 apparel line launch and the RS 5 reveal, there’s a lot to keep track of and there seems to be a centralization of activity on Thursday. Here’s the rundown based on what we’ve been told.
WEDNESDAY 18 FEBRUARY
F1 Bahrain Test Day 4.
Morning session Nico 08.00 CET (10:00 Track Time)
Afternoon Session Gabi, 13.00 CET (15:00 Track Time)
THURSDAY 19 FEBRUARY
F1 Bahrain Test Day 5
Morning session Gabi 08.00 CET (10:00 Track Time)
Afternoon Session Nico, 13.00 CET (15:00 Track Time)
RS 5 Reveal
Possibly afternoon CET but timing unclear. Expect full details of car to be revealed.
adidas x Audi Revolut F1 Team Collection Reveal / Available for Sale
More information HERE.
FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY
F1 Bahrain Test Day 6
Morning session Nico 08.00 CET (10:00 Track Time)
Afternoon Session Gabi, 13.00 CET (15:00 Track Time)
MULTI-STAGE RS 5 TEASE & REVEAL
The reveal of the newest RS car is an interesting stand-out. It’s the one activity that’s a product reveal and not an F1 activity. Could it be tied to F1 and revealed in Bahrain or something? Perhaps given the date, but that remains to be seen.
What we do know is that several European influencers including our friend @auditography did get early access to the car. We’re seeing socials begin last night and continuing throughout the day all revealing a few key details such as new italic RS badge at the front, partial italic RS badge at the back and the wheel design.
So, let’s focus on these.
The badges were an issue. Auditography raised the issue months ago of the more forgettable nature of the non-italic badges without numbers. Audi heard those criticisms and reacted by adding the italic badges back to the car. At the front, there’s a blend of the simple “RS” much like what we’ve seen on the already updated RS Q8 and RS 3, but here it’s italic again.
Also interesting is the fact that they’re not showing the full rear badge. Likely there’s a number there and it’s expected to be an “RS 5”. However, we do remember hearing once that Audi aimed to return the car to be an A4 at the mid-lifecycle freshening. Could Audi make the RS an RS 4 from the outset? I suspect that might be a bit confusing for the market, but it would be an interesting move and might explain why they’re being coy with the latter half of that badge.
As for the wheels, this is another interesting move. The design appears to be the same 6-double-spoke RS wheel used on the RS e-tron GT performance. We’ve seen two cars in the teaser – an Oak Green Metallic version with forged carbon fiber trim and carbon ceramic brakes wearing these wheels in partial polished finish for what appears to be an identical color and trim specification to one available on the RS e-tron GT performance.
On the other car, the wheel seems to be monochromatic black – a finish that seems to suit it even better for a more aggressive appearance. Otherwise, it appears to be the same wheel. Paired with a red car, it appears to be a great look.
RS 5 EMBARGO PHOTOS LEAKED
Launches such as this tend to see embargo photos go out early to established publications. Photos like these are almost always the source of “early leaks” and some of those hit the internet today. Since this publication plans to make use of embargo photos, I’m going to go ahead and respect the PR embargo and not run the photos. However, if you really want to see them I’m sure they can be found out and about on the internet.
The shots appear to be consistent with the official influencer teasers we’ve seen elsewhere. An Oak Green Metallic sedan can be seen with black/silver wheel finish, while a red Avant can be seen with black wheels. Expect the full drop including details and specs to be revealed officially on Thursday.
ADIDAS x AUDI REVOLUT F1 TEAM APPAREL DROP
We’ve covered this more in-depth already in a previous story, however the timing during the Bahrain test and aligned with the RS 5 reveal is interesting. Whether or not it’s all coordinated or simply overlap on a busy reveal schedule remains to be seen, but what we know is that Audi is promising the line will be fully revealed on their website Thursday and it appears the product will also be ready for order at that time.
F1 TEST DAYS AT BAHRAIN
This week also means three more days of testing for the Audi Revolut F1 Team at the Bahrain circuit. Expect galleries and coverage on this site to come from that as it happens.