Audi Revolut F1 Team will bring a package of updates to its two R26 cars for the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg this weekend, the eighth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, while reserve driver Paul Aron is confirmed to take over Gabriel Bortoleto’s car for the opening free practice session.
The team announced the developments as it looks to convert recent pace into points after consecutive scoreless weekends in Monaco and Barcelona. Audi described the first European races as delivering “encouraging signs” as the squad established itself in the midfield fight, but acknowledged that “strong pace did not translate into points” at either venue.
Aron’s FP1 appearance will be his second planned practice outing with the team this season. The session gives the young driver valuable track time on one of the calendar’s most demanding layouts, where 22 cars share just 4.326 kilometers of asphalt and qualifying margins are razor-thin.
Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring presents a distinctive challenge. The circuit features only 10 turns and a massive 60-meter elevation change between its highest and lowest points, one of the largest on the calendar. Last year’s pole position lap was completed in just under 64 seconds, making it the quickest lap time on the current schedule, while average speeds exceed 240 kilometers per hour.
Audi enters the weekend with reason for optimism beyond the upgrades. The R26 has shown competitive straight-line speed in recent weeks, with Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg topping the speed charts at three of the seven race weekends so far this season. Around one of Formula 1’s fastest circuits, that characteristic could prove valuable.
Both drivers carry positive memories from Spielberg. Hulkenberg finished ninth last year despite starting from the back of the grid, while Bortoleto recorded both the first Q3 appearance and first points finish of his Formula 1 career with an eighth-place result at the venue.
The Austrian Grand Prix marks the 40th time Spielberg has hosted a Formula 1 World Championship event since the circuit, formerly known as the Osterreichring, first appeared on the schedule in 1970. The venue sits 700 meters above sea level and draws approximately 300,000 fans across the race weekend. The 71-lap race covers 307.018 kilometers, with Oscar Piastri holding the fastest race lap record of 1:07.924 set last year.