When Audi took to Barcelona for the shakedown of its new R26 Formula 1 car on 9 January, it had created a colossal statement of intent in being the first team to put its 2026 racer on track.
It was no last-minute decision to put the car through its first run; this had been in the works for - per technical director James Key - around 18 months. As such, the team had ensured all of its design and manufacturing targets would converge upon getting the car running in the first full week of January.
