Live from Munich, Matt and Tommy share their firsthand experience at the Audi F1 car launch. They discuss the striking new livery featuring chalk, titanium, graphite, and vibrant lava red, and share their thoughts on the design elements. The duo reflects on the excitement of seeing a 2026 Formula One car up close, noting its resemblance to earlier models while highlighting the nuances of the new regulations. They also provide insights into the event atmosphere, including interactions with industry figures and the overall presentation quality.
Join us live in Berlin for the Audi F1 launch! We chat about the new car, which we got a sneak preview of earlier today as part of an awesome launch event. We also spoke to Audi's Team Principal, Jonathan Wheatley!
Sign up to our Patreon! You'll get access to every P1 episode ad-free, extended versions of every 2026 race review, early access to tickets & merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now: http://patreon.com/mattp1tommy
"...Stop touching me. For the Audi Revolute F1 Team car launch."
The Audi Revolute F1 Team car is a racing car used in Formula 1, which is a top-level motorsport series. These cars are built for speed and have special designs to perform well on racetracks.
The Audi Revolute F1 Team car represents Audi's entry into Formula 1 racing, showcasing their commitment to high-performance motorsport. Formula 1 cars are designed for speed and agility, featuring advanced technology and aerodynamics.
"So, these are the colors in the livery, which you'll have seen by now. Chalk, titanium, graphite, lava red."
Livery is the way a car is painted and designed, especially in racing. It helps people recognize the team and looks cool on the track.
Livery refers to the distinctive colors and designs used on vehicles, especially in racing, to represent a team or brand. It plays a significant role in branding and team identity.
"And by the way, we have been brought out here by Audi and Revolut. Big shout out to them."
Audi is a well-known car brand from Germany that makes luxury cars. They are also involved in racing, which makes them popular among car enthusiasts.
Audi is a German automotive manufacturer known for its luxury vehicles and advanced technology. The brand is part of the Volkswagen Group and has a strong presence in motorsports, including Formula 1.
"...not just going outside, but to see a 2026 Formula One car in person for the first time, not just the livery, but also what the cars are going to look like."
Formula One is a type of car racing that features very fast cars competing in races around the world. It's known for its exciting events and cutting-edge technology.
"...it can't get out of my head that it looks rather Formula Two. The front wing in particular, a lot more narrow..."
Formula Two is a type of car racing that is a step below Formula One. It helps young drivers learn and prepare for the more competitive Formula One races.
Formula Two is a lower-tier single-seater racing series that serves as a feeder category to Formula One. It features similar cars but with less advanced technology and lower speeds, allowing drivers to gain experience before moving up to Formula One.
"...The front wing in particular, a lot more narrow, of course, on the front wing than you have these very strange looking end plates..."
The front wing is a part of a race car that helps it stick to the road better by pushing it down. It's important for making the car handle well during races.
The front wing is a crucial aerodynamic component of a race car that helps to generate downforce, improving grip and handling. In Formula racing, the design and shape of the front wing can significantly affect the car's performance on the track.
"...than you have these very strange looking end plates, which are kind of almost colored, very dark..."
End plates are parts of the wing on a race car that help it go faster by improving how air flows around the car. They help the car stay stable and stick to the track better.
End plates are vertical surfaces attached to the ends of a car's wing, designed to improve aerodynamic efficiency by reducing drag and increasing downforce. They play a critical role in the overall performance of the wing in motorsport applications.
"There's a rally car and rally car and a DTM car as well, which is really cool. Like they look awesome."
DTM is a racing series in Germany where modified cars race against each other. It's known for exciting races and high-performance vehicles.
DTM stands for Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a popular touring car racing series in Germany. It features highly modified versions of production cars competing on various tracks.
"...I was largely unambitious. I started out as a front-end mechanic on a Formula One car and then I got asked to run a car..."
A front-end mechanic works on the front part of cars, fixing things like the steering and suspension. This is important for making sure cars drive safely and smoothly, especially in racing.
A front-end mechanic specializes in the components of a vehicle's front end, including the suspension, steering, and braking systems. This role is crucial in ensuring that a car handles well and is safe to drive, especially in high-performance environments like Formula One.
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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy.
We are here in real life.
You're here.
Stop touching me.
For the Audi Revolute F1 Team car launch.
That is right.
We're here in Berlin.
We've seen the car.
We've got an amazing backdrop.
We are almost professionals of the game.
Tommy, how are you feeling?
I'm feeling great.
It's happy to be here.
Happy to be at a car launch.
I can literally see Gabrielle Borsaletto right there.
We're proper in the thick of it here.
Yeah.
Nico Holkenberg walked past a little while ago before we started recording.
It's electric to be honest with you.
The venue is awesome.
We're going to talk about all of that.
Talk about our experience of just what it's like to go to a car launch.
I think a lot of you are probably wondering.
And of course, talk about the car delivery and everything else in between.
So, you're happy to be here.
I'm happy to be here.
This is a very cool backdrop, as I say.
Lots of helmets.
You actually know the colors, by the way.
I do.
I've been told the colors.
You need to come up here.
I've been told the colors.
I've been told the colors.
You need to come over to YouTube because it's a very cool backdrop.
It's a very cool backdrop.
So, these are the colors in the livery, which you'll have seen by now.
Chalk, titanium, graphite, lava red.
So, there you go.
They're the official colors of the new Audi Revolut F1 team livery.
Unsurprised.
And by the way, we have been brought out here by Audi and Revolut.
Big shout out to them.
I would say that's my favorite by a country where I wonder why.
The lava red.
I will try and steal one off the wall if I possibly can.
It pops.
It pops, doesn't it?
It does.
So, we've seen the car.
First thoughts.
Let's talk about it.
It's been revealed.
My first thought is that I've already seen it.
To a point, yeah, yeah.
I've already kind of seen the livery.
It was revealed quite...
Two months ago.
Two months ago, they did the initial kind of Audi launch.
Obviously, since then, they've gathered many, many sponsors.
Lots of writing.
Yes, lots of writing.
Many sponsors on board.
They're not sure of sponsors, that's for sure.
Revolut title sponsor, of course, as well.
And, yeah, they've launched the car as it's going to look on the track.
Exactly.
And what do we think of the livery?
For me, like, I struggle a little bit with the blocks of color.
It's something that I have always done.
I prefer it when it flows.
And like Hass, for example, I really like the way the Hass has kind of flowed
with the more prominent white this time round.
For this, it feels a little bit jarring in that sense.
But I do quite like the silvery grey, I don't know what color...
Sorry, what color is that?
Titanium.
Titanium.
I like the titanium on the front.
I think that's really cool.
Yeah, that is cool.
But yeah, like, just to be here and to see the car unveiled in person,
to see the old sheet come off,
I think there's definitely more professional and cool term than sheet coming off the car.
But the presentation is good.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing it on track as well.
Because here, as we mentioned, that kind of lava red, as we've mentioned,
like that color, it's so, so vibrant, like it stands out loads.
It would have been cool to see maybe even more of that on the livery,
the back in particular, like the rear wing looks great
with the Audi logo on the back and in that lava red on the black.
It's very cool.
It's very different, like you say,
the fact that they've gone for that kind of block color
is going to stand out and be very different on the grid.
And yeah, it's cool to see it in person here.
And I think the most exciting thing for us,
not just going outside,
but to see a 2026 Formula One car in person
for the first time, not just the livery,
but also what the cars are going to look like.
And for me, it can't get out of my head that it looks rather Formula Two.
The front wing in particular, a lot more narrow, of course, on the front wing
than you have these very strange looking end plates,
which are kind of almost colored, very dark,
so you don't really notice them as much.
But yeah, the small changes of the 2026 car when you see it in person,
it doesn't, and as we said before on the podcast,
it's not like a radical massive change.
We're like, whoa, this is going to take some getting used to.
It's not as far as that.
But yeah, you can see that also the sort of older school potential.
I don't know if that's why it doesn't feel like a big change
because it feels like I've almost seen that era before
because as soon as I saw it, my first thoughts were like,
that looks like a 2004 era car or a 2005 era car.
You've got that kind of, as you mentioned,
like the front wing is minus those big end plate bits.
It's very thin and smaller.
We're used to like the cars feeling so wide.
I think that that is one thing, like looking at it in person.
I remember when we saw those old cars,
the most kind of recent before this one,
those cars for the first time,
you looked at them a lot of the time and went,
they look absolutely massive.
Like no wonder they can't overtake at Monaco and things like that.
These ones do look smaller even though we were kind of maybe
taking the mickey a little bit about how like,
oh, it's only this much in centimetres or whatever it is.
But they do actually look a lot more kind of reduced
and less kind of enormous, I think.
And yeah, the first thing that I thought was like,
that looks like a car from like that 2000s era,
which in my opinion is one of,
if not the best looking era Formula One cars anyway.
So I'm absolutely here for it.
Yeah, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.
They measure the decrease in size by millimetres,
which sounds a lot bigger than they would measure it by centimetres.
I think it can be very cleverly done in the way in which
the design is.
As I say, like the front wing looks a lot narrower,
but it's not actually.
But then when you actually look at it in person,
you realise that it still goes up to the wheels.
Yeah, exactly.
So I know for a fact when we get to Monaco,
they will still look enormous and they still won't be able
to overtake, but we will have to wait and see.
And they look cool. I like them all.
So of course, as we're here, right?
We're like literally some reason, like how...
We've been doing this for over seven years,
and I'm still like, cool.
We're here.
Yeah.
Because when you do it at home all the time,
you kind of forget that anyone even watches or cares
about our content.
But Audi do, and they wanted us here.
And what I will say is the car launch,
this is an awesome car launch.
I've been lucky enough to go to quite a few of them.
This one, like the ambiance and the lighting
and everything else that they've done here,
it looks awesome.
It really does.
You come in, you might wonder what the process is, right?
So first and foremost, obviously we flew here
from London City Airport.
Never flown through that from that airport before.
And a very pleasant experience.
No queuing.
We flew in this morning to Berlin, got picked up
and then dropped at the hotel for literally five minutes
and then got in a shuttle.
Yeah.
Then we arrived at the car launch.
We signed and we have a little wristband.
Look at that.
Very nice.
Very nice.
There's another Audi motorsport cars downstairs
as well, isn't there?
Yes.
There's a rally car and rally car and a DTM car as well,
which is really cool.
Like they look awesome.
A nice, like, way to get you hyped
to kind of walk in and go, oh, OK, like, Audi are back.
We've got it.
I wonder where we are.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's really cool.
You know exactly where you are.
Then we head upstairs and that's when, you know,
we're getting to the big league stuff.
You know, we can see the car under its sheets
and things like that.
You start to get a bit excited over there.
You have one of the Audi road cars.
I'm sure we can show you some stuff
like the helmets, the gloves.
There's unbelievable food.
I'm not going to lie to you.
Wow.
That prawn curry they were serving.
Oh, no, the lights are going down.
What's going on?
No, we're fine.
What's happening?
Oh, no, we're losing it.
Is it going to be complete darkness?
No, we're fine.
Why is it every time we go to a car launch in person,
the lights turn off?
I think they're trying to say something.
And now it's happened again.
They invite us and as soon as we start the podcast,
they're like, come on, guys, get out.
We were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago
and they're like, right, these influencers won't leave
unless we turn the lights off.
Then they can't record the content.
Either or.
I'm still telling you about the car launch experience.
We spoke to Jonathan Wheatley,
which will include at the end of the podcast as well,
some wholesome and funny answers from him.
And overall, Tommy,
you can't complain as a Formula One fan
to have this kind of access.
Absolutely.
Like, you know, as you know,
we've grown up watching Formula One for years
and as fans.
So to actually like be at the car launch,
you know, it's something that you could never,
we'd never imagined being here at Kinseth
and to get here and you're kind of like
walking around and you're seeing the whole experience.
It feels like you're kind of going behind the curtain, doesn't it?
Right, so they are getting ready now
because this was like a media part of the day.
They're getting ready for the big launch event later on.
We'll add a bit of reaction piece after that as well.
So for the first time ever,
I think we're doing a podcast in two parts.
Yep, because we're getting kicked out.
Take care.
Goodbye.
OK, so you might be wondering,
Matt, Tommy, where has your lovely backdrop gone?
Well, they kicked us out
because they were getting ready.
Well, they would get doing their rehearsals, weren't they?
For the actual car launch later.
So it's like media car launch, rehearsals,
actual car launch.
And we're currently in this spot right now
where we've seen the car and everything else.
We haven't had the real thing that everybody else is going to see.
Exactly.
So they're going to be the car launch that you've all seen
by the time this has gone out,
reveal the car, you know,
the big lights and everything
and speaking with the drivers and all that stuff.
Because we had a little bit of a speak with the drivers,
although we were observing.
We basically saw what it was like to be in a press conference
and like a media pen.
They called it the F1 driver round table
and that just made me think of the traitors,
which if you watch that, you'll know exactly what I mean.
But yeah, we were essentially just sat there,
people were asking questions.
The funniest thing that happened was,
of course, you know, there was loads of different influences
from different countries and there was this German influencer
that I think you're not journalists.
It was supposed to be for influencers.
No, he was a journalist.
Well, it was supposed to be for influencers
because he was supposed to give us a taste
of what it's like to be in the media.
So realistically, he should never have been there.
However, what was the funny part
was that he essentially recreated the 30 years ago meme.
Not deliberately, I might add.
Not deliberately, but it was the longest question ever
in German.
Nobody else had any idea what was going on.
And then he was told to repeat it in English.
So it was literally...
Yeah, it was quite something.
So we had that.
Another funny story is that, of course,
where we're staying in Berlin, everybody is.
The whole of Audi.
Everyone's going to the launch.
Everyone's here.
Yep, they're all here.
And I was in the lift going up to my room
and Matteo Bernotto steps in
and he needs to go down, not up.
So I had to say to Matteo Bernotto,
I'm going up and he went and then left.
Why?
What a lovely interaction.
That is, I think, as we kind of mentioned
about when we're at the car launch, all these surreal things.
It's a nice little behind the scenes of all those moments
where you're just like, what is my life?
When little things like that happen, it is so bizarre.
It's like a fictional character walking into the lift
and me going, that is a real person.
Do I ask you about Charles Clair's hard tyres at Silverstone?
Or do I not?
Is this an inopportune time?
Not over it all these years later.
And I never will be.
But yes, I think another thing that I think I alluded to
at the start of the podcast that we'd love to do now
is to give you a bit of an insight to Jonathan Wheatley,
the team principal, of course, of Audi.
And I got to speak to him for a few minutes.
So why don't we roll into that interview right now?
OK, so we're here with Jonathan Wheatley.
Thank you so much for coming on the P1 channel.
Got some questions for you at the car launch.
Very exciting time of the year.
First thing, look, F1 team principal.
How does that feel?
What's the feelings coming into this season
and with a brand new look and feel?
Well, firstly, thank you very much for inviting me.
It's nice to be stood here now
with something that we've been calling a project for some time
that is now real.
It's now a Formula One team.
And of course, to stand here as the team principal
of the Audi Revolut Formula One team
and to say that out loud is an incredible, I don't know,
it's a moment in your life that you want to savor.
Now, as an F1 team principal,
could you go and drive the F1 car if you wanted to?
Oh, 100% I doubt.
When are we lining up?
No, you know, I wanted to be a racing driver.
Never quite worked out for me.
And what these guys do,
I wouldn't want to belittle that in any way.
You know, it's extraordinary.
Their level of ability, the things that they do in a car
is something else.
And I'm looking forward to seeing what they do in this car.
Now, if you could change one rule in Formula One,
we ask drivers this when we get them on the channel,
what would you choose?
What would be one rule you'd change?
The inner, I don't know, the inner passionate race fan
would be to get rid of nearly all the regulations
and say, you have a box, it has to fit in
and it can't weigh less than this.
So I think, you know, to see that engineering freedom,
given that we've got a cost cap would be fantastic,
but in the real world that we live in,
that would never work.
Dreams are there.
So you started off as a mechanic.
What would you tell your younger self now
considering what you've said about the fact
that it's an amazing position you're in?
I think just try to enjoy every step
on the journey that your career is.
You know, Formula One's been amazing to me
and maybe it's a great example for everyone out there
that dreams of doing something special in their life.
I mean, I was largely unambitious.
I started out as a front-end mechanic on a Formula One car
and then I got asked to run a car
and then I got asked to run the test team
and then run the race team
and then I got asked to join Red Bull.
You know, I've had an extraordinary career
and I've loved every second of it,
but sometimes you just have to stop
and take it all in and appreciate it for what it is
and I'm going to try to do that today.
Absolutely.
Now, we've heard about driver's group chats.
Is there a team principal one
and do you send each other memes?
Do you argue? What does it look like?
If there is one, I've not been invited to it yet.
So maybe I'm the black sheep
and I'm the one that they don't want to have in their group.
No, I mean, we have a great working relationship
I think across all the teams to be honest
what do we all share the same ambition
which is to treat this sport carefully,
look after it, look after our teams
and provide the best show that we possibly can
for all of our fans out there.
Awesome. And one final thing, on our podcast
we like to do crazy predictions for each weekend.
Can you give us a crazy prediction for the entire season?
What would be something that just out of the blue
might happen this year,
putting you on the spot,
first interview of the day?
Yeah, exactly. And I don't know.
You know what I'd love is that at the end of the year
just how competitive
the Audi Revolut Formula One team was in its first season
and I would take tremendous amount of pride
if we could just keep the momentum that we started last year
and just show the world what we're capable of.
But we're on a long journey,
it's an ambitious journey
but I would love to be making progress.
And one final thing I want to ask, as you are
used to being a mechanic, the new regulations
as fans we're excited to cause a massive shake-up.
How do you see it from your side?
Is it a huge opportunity?
Is it quite scary with the amount of change that's coming?
How do you see it?
Well, firstly, you say, you look at my background
and I guess something draws me to the car every year.
So when the car's being built, I like to be around it,
I like to see the bits that go on the car,
what makes it, where the new technologies are,
where you're doing something different,
bringing together this incredible chassis and powertrain.
I mean, for us and for everyone in Hinfel,
it's the first time for a very long time
they've had a works engine installation into a chassis.
It just looks like a racing car
and I'm excited to get it on the track.
Awesome. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Right, we're back once again in the hotel room
and hopefully you've enjoyed this car launch.
I would say chaos.
It's been chaotic.
It's been a chaotic podcast, video,
whatever you're watching on.
So Tommy, how would you go about giving your final thoughts?
My final thoughts are, yeah,
I hope you guys have got a little insight
into just how manic but amazing these car launches are.
It's amazing that they can put on these events
for so many people, obviously so many people want time
with drivers and things, everyone's doing their own thing.
Massive event, really cool to be here, absolutely awesome.
And yes, we're on a flight here to do this,
then we're flying back
and then we're doing the Autosport Awards,
which is amazing and I just want to again say thank you
so much for everyone that voted for us on that
because we'll be wearing some suits tomorrow.
We'll be all smart.
Sounds luxurious.
The realistic view is that we've packed our suits
into a small suitcase, come to Berlin
because we're going straight back to London
and then going straight to the award show.
Not looking forward to how creased my shirt is.
Don't look at any pictures from the Autosport Awards
because it will look like we have just rung it out.
But look, thank you again, as Tommy said,
for the Autosport Awards voting.
Maybe, just maybe, fingers crossed,
potentially maybe we might win.
I hope so for everybody that has supported us
to show something to be like,
oh my God, we actually got recognized for something.
That would be cool.
All right, that is it.
Thank you everybody for listening
and we will see you very soon probably for another car launch.
Indeed, the next one will be Mercedes.
Mercedes.
A couple of days.
Can't wait for the leak at 9am
and the actual launch at 1pm.
Oh, they love that, don't they?
Beautiful stuff.
Bye.
Bye
Until a great trip starts with peace of mind.
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