Audi snapped testing F1 car as new ADUO engine set for Austrian Grand Prix

Bortoleto during practice at Suzuka — Photo: © IMAGO

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Audi snapped testing F1 car as new ADUO engine set for Austrian Grand Prix

Audi are refusing to rest on their laurels during the week break in the F1 calendar

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 19 June 2026 11:55

Audi F1 team have taken to the track at their German facility in Neuburg this week as reports of a new and improved engine emerge ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

In a video shared on social media, Audi's first F1 model, the R26, was taken for a spin by Brazilian F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto.

But fans in the comments were sceptical over the true aims of the testing, as were Spanish publication SoyMotor.

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"The German manufacturer has taken the R26 to the legendary track next to its factory in Neuburg for a ‘demo run’ in front of its staff," read a recent article from the outlet.

"Gabriel Bortoleto was at the wheel of the car," it continued, before questioning if a test of the team's new engine could be the true reason they were running machinery in the break between the seventh and eighth rounds of this year's championship.

"Why? It may simply be a nod to the enormous effort made by all the staff involved in the creation and development of the power unit – the chassis is still being developed in Hinwil – but it is also true that Audi plans to introduce its ADUO engine upgrade at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix," the report continued.

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What is ADUO and how could it help Audi in F1?

Audi are far from the only team carrying out testing in the week following the Barcelona GP, with Haas handing F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli a chance to try their 2025 car as part of their TPC programme at Jerez circuit.

Ferrari, Aston Martin and Cadillac also stayed behind in Barcelona to take part in a two-day slick tyre test with F1 tyre provider Pirelli.

But Audi area said to be ramping up preparations for the next round in Austria with this week's 15-kilometer demo run in front of loyal employees potentially a trial of their new and hopefully improved engine.

2026 marks Audi's first year as an F1 outfit, so their decision to run their machinery off of in-house power units was a bold one.

Like Cadillac, they could have chosen to enter the sport by relying on the safety net of becoming a customer team, with a goal of turning their project into a works team in the future.

But they opted for their own engines, something which appears to have worked out in their favour following the latest rankings of the FIA's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system.

ADUO acts as F1's very own safety net and allows struggling engine manufacturers to catch up to the strongest PU providers if they are deemed to have fallen too far behind the benchmark.

The biggest shock of the F1 2026 news cycle is that Red Bull have been deemed to have the strongest engine, something which hasn't been reflected in their on-track performance so far this season.

The Milton Keynes-based squad are fighting the FIA over their engine performance findings which deduced that Red Bull did not need the opportunity to bring further engine upgrades, whilst rival PU providers Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda have all been handed the chance to upgrade.

When is the Austrian Grand Prix?

Regardless of whether Audi's Neuburg demo-run was a first test of their new upgraded engine or not, they won't have long until they pack up their F1 project to head to the Red Bull Ring for the next round of the championship anyway.

The Austrian Grand Prix weekend kicks off on Friday, June 26 with FP1 beginning at 1:30pm local time (CEST).

Qualifying will take place the following day on Saturday, June 27 at 4pm track time before the main event concludes the race weekend on Sunday, June 28.

Lights out for the F1 2026 Austrian GP will be 3pm CEST. For the full weekend schedule, click here.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

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