Audi vs Caddilac: Who has made the strongest start out of 2026’s new F1 teams?
01 April 2026Formula 1 welcomed two automotive giants to the grid in 2026. Both were drawn in by F1’s new hybrid era, both are looking to establish themselves as teams capable of fighting for wins and titles.
Each brand is totally unique, however, as are the team’s philosophies, and that is evident in the way they have started life at the top tier of motorsport.
The weight of history
Audi has built a reputation for domination in a range of motorsport disciplines across different eras, winning Le Mans 13 times between 1999 and 2016, and reshaping rallying decades earlier.
Even before that and before the Formula 1 World Championship had been formed, its Auto Union predecessor was winning races and titles in European Grands Prix in the 1930s.
So, while 2026 marks Audi’s official F1 debut, the expectation was never about simply making up the numbers.
A ready-made team still under construction
By taking over the Sauber operation, Audi avoided having to build a team from the ground up, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination.
The team still had to set up its own engine division, which is arguably one of the most daunting aspects of running an F1 team. Similarly, Sauber has been in a state of flux for a number of years, undergoing several transitions in recent seasons.
Then there was the restructuring at leadership level early in the season, with team principal Jonathan Wheatley stepping away just two rounds in.
Despite all of this, the results have been encouraging, although it’s still very early in the season.
Audi 2026 results so far
Australia
Gabriel Bortoleto reached Q3 and delivered ninth place, scoring points on Audi’s debut as both a chassis and power unit manufacturer. Nico Hulkenberg’s DNS denied the team a faultless start, but there was clearly pace in the fledgling package.
China
Hulkenberg was on course for points before a slow pit stop dropped him to 11th, highlighting there are still creases to be ironed out. Bortoleto didn’t make the start either, marking a second race where only one Audi made it to the chequered flag.
Japan
A more complete weekend in terms of reliability meant both cars started and finished the race. But poor launches sent them backwards off the line. Hulkenberg’s recovery from 19th to 11th showed what might have been.
A strong start against the odds
Audi’s car looks like it belongs in the fight for points alongside teams like Alpine and Haas, but poor starts, pit execution and reliability blips have all chipped away at their potential points tally.
The recent leadership reshuffle won’t be helping things either, but it’s clear there’s already pace in the Audi.
The long road from zero
Where Audi inherited the shell of a team, Cadillac had to build one from scratch.
Backed by General Motors and operating across multiple sites in the US and UK, the early stages of Cadillac’s project have been as much about building the infrastructure that underpins a world-class F1 team as it has been about producing a competitive package on track.
New team? Check. New headquarters? Check. New car? Check. And that all came together under race conditions for the first time in Melbourne.
Although it isn’t developing its own engine just yet, the task at hand seems more of an uphill struggle than Audi’s.
Managing expectations
Cadillac was under no illusions ahead of its first season. Right from the word go, the messaging has been realistic. Headline results always seemed unlikely when competing against teams with decades of experience. So far, the results have reflected that.
Unsurprisingly, they’ve been backmarkers, often in direct competition with Aston Martin over the final positions on the track. Even on a good day with luck on their side, the drivers seem unable to get near the points.
But that hasn’t been the focus for Cadillac so far. It’s been more about building a reliable, consistent platform and the rookie team looks to have achieved that after the first three races.
Cadillac 2026 results so far
Australia
In its first-ever F1 race, simply reaching a full race distance would be considered a huge result for the team, and Sergio Perez did just that with P16. Valtteri Bottas, meanwhile, retired.
China
Both cars completed the race, with Bottas taking 13th – helped in part by reliability problems for much of the field – and Perez 15th.
Japan
Suzuka was a tougher result on paper, with 17th and 19th, but was also a weekend where upgrades began to filter through.
Small steps in the right direction
Cadillac’s car might not be a world beater yet, but it’s evolving slowly. The team is learning each time it hits the track, and crucially, there’s a clear roadmap.
Significant upgrades are planned for Miami, and with a longer break between races due to calendar changes, there’s a rare window to take a breath and make even more progress with developments.
Who has made the stronger start to life in Formula 1?
At the moment? Audi. Not just because of the points on the board, but because it’s already part of the midfield conversation, even if it’s not yet capitalising on that underlying pace every weekend.
Cadillac, by contrast, is exactly where you might expect a brand-new team to be. It is learning, building and whittling away at the deficit.
But their ambitions were different from the start. The real question both teams will be asking is if early expectations have been met. And right now, neither one is in a tailspin. They know where they need to get to, it’s just about how they get there.
