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Reuters

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Reuters

Formula 1 is a cut-throat business. Every opportunity you get to get one up on rivals is something you take. Audi announced their entry into the Formula 1 World Championship from 2026 onwards in a press conference they held earlier today. Not only that, but in the press conference, they didn’t shy away from taking a dig at their potential future rivals at Mercedes.

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Audi intends to enter the sport as an engine supplier. However, who they shall team up with is still to be seen, and they have hinted to announce that sometime later in the year. However, what got most people’s attention is that they took a dig at their German compatriots and Formula 1 stalwarts, Mercedes.

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The German outfit is based out of Brackley, United Kingdom. This means that their Formula 1 operations, including the factory where they manufacture the F1 engines, are based in the UK rather than Germany. Audi, German by nationality, was quick to point that out.

In their press release, Audi highlighted that “This is the first time in more than a decade that a Formula 1 power train will be built in Germany.” That would’ve stung, right?

Read More: “We Know That We’ve Not Done a Good Enough Job”: Mercedes Make Gloomy F1 Confession While Contradictory Ambition Burns On

Formula 1 fans have been ecstatic at the prospect of seeing a new face in the paddock. With Audi, there comes hope for new alliances, new pecking order, and possibly new drivers.

Formula 1 fans react as Audi announces their entry into the sport to compete with Mercedes in 2026

The official Instagram account of Formula 1 earlier today confirmed Audi’s entry into the sport at the start of the 2026 season. This sent fans into a frenzy. The post garnered a multitude of responses. All positive, of course!

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One fan was quick to make a seemingly legitimate demand. “@sebastianvettel comeback in 2026 please?”

Another fan was quick to give context, “A German team with a German driver maybe.”

All in all, the state of Formula 1 fans’ emotions can be summed up with this one comment, “LETS GOO”.

Watch this story: F1 Stars Max Verstappen, George Russell Enjoy Miami Heats Dominant Surge at NBA Playoffs 

Will Audi be able to have a competitive power unit from the very get-go? How will the Mercedes-Audi rivalry pan out on track and off of it?

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Written by

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Anirban Aly Mandal

1,126 Articles

Anirban Aly Mandal is a senior F1 writer at EssentiallySports, with over 1000 articles published on the platform. Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 while playing on his computer, and he has since then dived deep into the world of motorsports. Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to F1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim-racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. He's also a fan of the PES series and other sporting and non-sporting games. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature, music, and Anglo-Saxon history.

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Ranvijay Singh

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