aBr Automotive Business Review September September 2026 | Page 13

Audi F1 Inputs
Exclusive Excellence
" The Audi Nuvolari * shows that, when you have the right mindset and close teamwork, you can succeed in delivering rapidly without making any compromises ", says Chief Creative Officer Massimo Frascella.
lines of communication are among the issues analysts have raised regarding German automotive design.
The issue is not creativity in the core design studios or fabrication environment; that talent has always existed, and young German automotive designers are still amongst the best in the world. " The Audi Nuvolari * shows that, when you have the right mindset and close teamwork, you can succeed in delivering rapidly without making any compromises ", says Chief Creative Officer Massimo Frascella. An important design detail on the Nuvolari, is the lack of a large rear wing, which would have spoiled the car ' s overall aesthetic balance.

Audi F1 Inputs

From the initial designs in Ingolstadt to coldweather testing with technology demonstrators in Lapland, lightweight construction in Neckarsulm, tests in the Ingolstadt wind tunnel, suspension tuning in southern Spain, and high-speed tests in Nardò, Italy, experts everywhere worked hand in hand to develop the Audi Nuvolari in record time for a German industry design.
Audi also leveraged the expertise in its new F1 team, to help develop the new supercar. " When the Nuvolari took to the road for the first time, the best part was seeing the expressions on the faces of the people who had developed it," recalls Gernot Döllner. " Seeing something that had existed only as a sketch come to life for the first time was indescribable."
Only 405 days after the original Nuvolari idea was sketched on paper, the project team presented a drivable prototype. The drivers of the Audi Revolut F1 Team then took over testing duties. Gabriel Bortoleto drove the Nuvolari on the high-speed track at the renowned Nardò Technical Centre in Italy. At the test track in Neustadt an der Donau, F1 teammate Nico Hülkenberg also pushed the Nuvolari to its limits.

Exclusive Excellence

For Audi, the Nuvolari is a bold statement car. At a time when the brand is struggling for identity, it has decided to create a bold design and engineering statement.
In a sense, the Nuvolari ' s purpose is similar to that of the original Quattro. A car that was way beyond what customers and the industry expected of Audi ' s technical expertise in the early 1980s. But the original Quattro was also a car that exceeded expectations and completely reshaped Audi ' s brand image.
Audi will only produce 499 Nuvolaris. It is positioned as a successor to the R8 and becomes the most powerful production car in Audi ' s history. The hybridised turbopetrol powertrain produces 735 kW, with Audi pairing the proven 4-litre twin-turbocharged petrol engine with three axial flux electric motors. Featuring advanced active aerodynamics and a sophisticated torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system, the Nuvolari is targeting the most discerning supercar collectors, who are also true driving enthusiasts.
JULY SEPTEMBER | AUGUST 2026 2026 11 WORDS IN ACTION