F1 | Audi chooses Castrol and bp for the 2026 “petrol war”

2026 will be an important year for Formula 1, especially in the motorsports field, when the new Power Units will debut. The regulation aimed at sustainability will see a greater emphasis on the electric part, but also a reduction in the amount of fuel on board each car during a race.

Precisely for this reason, in 2026 the strategic role of companies involved in fuel research will be even more fundamental than in the past, given that the issue of efficiency and consumption over the course of a GP will have great importance and will be one of the keys to ensuring a good result. Greater efficiency means not only being able to manage fuel differently, a key aspect in an aerodynamic regulation designed specifically to make up for some shortcomings of future Power Units, but also saving weight during the race.

Ferrari will continue its long relationship with Shell, Mercedes will continue with Petronas, while Aston Martin, which will mount Honda Power Units from 2026, has opened an exclusive collaboration with Aramco. For this new era, Audi has officially confirmed its choice to rely on bp and its lubricant specialist Castrol.

Even though the collaboration has only now been made official, in reality behind the scenes Audi and bp have already had the opportunity to work together to lay the foundations for the project, which is now coming to life after the German company itself announced that the Power Unit complete with all its parts is running on the bench after specific work on each component, reaching racing distance.

For bp, this will not be an absolute novelty, given that it is already present in Formula 1 as a sponsor of Alpine, but the partnership with Audi represents an important piece, especially for the German brand. At the moment, in fact, it is not yet clear whether the French company will continue with its Power Unit project for 2026 or whether it will abandon it to become a customer of other rival companies, such as Mercedes. In that case, beyond the commercial agreements, it could also become convenient for Alpine to rely on the same supplier as Mercedes, especially considering that the Power Unit would have been designed around the use of Petronas fuels. A topic that will certainly be addressed in the coming months, when the knot around Alpine will be untied.

The collaboration between bp and Audi clearly includes the development of sustainable fuels, as required by the FIA ​​F1 Technical Regulations from 2026. In addition, based on the needs of the German manufacturer, bp will also develop and supply Audi with a range of tailor-made Castrol lubricants. Based on the technical cooperation, the companies have also agreed on a long-term sponsorship, with bp becoming the first official partner of the future Audi Formula 1 team.

While this may not be bp’s first Formula 1 engagement, it will also not be the first time Castrol and Audi have collaborated on a project. The collaboration began in the 1980s in the World Rally Championship with the Audi quattro, and continued in the WEC and DTM races.

Oliver Hoffmann, General Representative Audi AG Formula 1, Andreas Seidl, CEO Audi F1 team, and Nicola Buck, SVP marketing BP.

Photo by: Audi

“Audi and bp have always worked together successfully in motorsport. We are delighted to be able to take this special partnership to the next level in Formula 1. bp and Castrol aspire to provide the best technologies in the field of fuels and lubricants. It is a perfect match. The fact that we have been able to establish this partnership at such an early stage is a strong signal for the future Audi F1 team,” explained Andreas Seidl, CEO of the Audi F1 Team.

Adam Baker, CEO Audi Formula Racing GmbH, emphasized above all the importance of this collaboration for the behind-the-scenes development of the new Power Unit: “This partnership is of great importance to us. From 2026 onwards, there will be strong competition in the field of sustainable fuels in Formula 1. In view of the high performance potential, it was important for us to start fuel tests at the end of 2022 with bp as a partner.”

The combustion process is very complex and can only be optimised by developing the engine in combination with the properties of the fuel. It is impressive how many fuel variants we have developed so far as we prepare for our 2026 season. I am convinced that with bp and Castrol we are perfectly positioned.”