The Audi Revolut F1 Team arrives in China this week for the second round of the Formula One World Championship riding the momentum of a promising debut just days earlier in Australia.
R:2🇨🇳 SCHEDULE
| DAY/DATE | ACTIVITY | LOCAL TIME | CET | EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 13 Mar | F1 Academy Practice | 09:10-09:50 | 03:10-03:50 | 3/12 9:10-9:50 PM |
| Fri 13 Mar | Practice 1 | 11:30-12:30 | 05:30-06:30 | 3/12 11:30 PM – 12:30 AM |
| Fri 13 Mar | F1 Academy Qualifying | 14:00-14:35 | 08:00-08:35 | 2:00-2:35 AM |
| Fri 13 Mar | Sprint Qualifying | 15:30-16:14 | 09:30-10:14 | 3:30-4:14 AM |
| Sat 14 Mar | Sprint | 11:00-12:00 | 05:00-06:30 | 3/13 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Sat 14 Mar | F1 Academy Race 1 | 13:45-14:20 | 07:45-08:20 | 1:45 AM – 2:20 AM |
| Sat 14 Mar | Qualifying | 15:00-16:00 | 09:00-10:00 | 3:00-4:00 AM |
| Sun 14 Mar | F1 Academy Race 2 | 10:40-11:15 | 04:40-05:15 | 3/13 10:00-11:15 PM |
| Sun 14 Mar | Grand Prix | 15:00 | 09:00 | 3:00 AM |
R:2🇨🇳 RACE INFORMATION
AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES
R:2🇨🇳 RACE PREVIEW
At the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, rookie driver Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a standout performance, finishing ninth and securing the first championship points in the young team’s Formula 1 history. The result offered an early validation of the work carried out across the team’s facilities during the winter as Audi officially began its new era in the sport.
Now the focus shifts quickly to the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit — a venue that brings a very different set of challenges and the first Sprint-format weekend of the 2026 season.
BUILDING MOMENTUM AFTER MELBOURNE
Team principal Jonathan Wheatley described the points finish in Melbourne as a significant early milestone while also emphasizing that the team remains firmly in development mode as it learns more about its 2026 challenger, the R26.
The debut weekend showcased encouraging pace but also highlighted the work still ahead. While Bortoleto finished in the points, teammate Nico Hülkenberg was unable to start the race due to a technical issue that forced him to watch from the garage after showing competitive pace during the earlier sessions.
For Wheatley, the takeaway from the first race was both encouraging and instructive. With the team still at the beginning of its Formula 1 journey, the immediate objective remains extracting data and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the new car.
Shanghai’s Sprint format will add another layer of complexity. With only a single practice session before Sprint Qualifying, teams must arrive with a strong baseline setup and be ready to maximize limited track time.
A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE IN SHANGHAI
The long straights and unique layout of the Shanghai circuit contrast sharply with Melbourne’s street-style configuration, providing an early test of how the R26 performs across different track characteristics.
For Hülkenberg, the quick turnaround between races offers a welcome opportunity to move past the disappointment of Melbourne and focus on the positive indicators from the team’s debut weekend. Both cars showed competitive pace in every session leading up to the race, something he believes bodes well as the team targets a place toward the front of the tightly packed midfield.
Bortoleto echoed that sentiment, noting that the Shanghai layout shares some similarities with the conditions experienced during preseason testing in Bahrain. That familiarity could help the team arrive better prepared despite the limited practice time.
Even so, the Brazilian rookie emphasized that expectations remain measured. While scoring points in the first race was a major moment for the team, it represents only the beginning of a long development season.
F1 ACADEMY RETURNS WITH AUDI’S EMMA FELBERMAYR
The Shanghai weekend will also mark the start of the 2026 campaign for Emma Felbermayr in F1 Academy.
The Austrian driver, part of Audi’s Driver Development Programme, begins her second season in the all-female championship with the goal of building on a promising rookie year. Representing the Audi Revolut F1 Team colors on the F1 Academy grid, Felbermayr will run alongside the main Formula 1 program during the Shanghai race weekend.
For Audi, the dual presence underscores the broader motorsport strategy surrounding its Formula 1 entry — combining a new top-level team with a pipeline of developing drivers.
ANOTHER STEP IN AUDI’S F1 TRAJECTORY
With a points finish already secured in its first race, Audi’s Formula 1 project has begun with an encouraging early result. But inside the team, the focus remains firmly on the longer-term mission.
Every race weekend represents another opportunity to learn, refine the R26 package, and gradually close the gap to the established frontrunners.
Shanghai’s Sprint weekend, with its compressed schedule and minimal preparation time, will offer an early test of how quickly Audi can continue that process.