Last fall, I had the chance to tour one of Audi’s Formula One engineering facilities not far from their home base in Ingolstadt. It was formerly the home of their various motorsport pursuits but had been recently converted and expanded to be their engine and hybrid system engineering centre, as well as mission control for their race weekends. It’s basically a giant lab, and it’s as clean as an operating room. It is largely quiet and, frankly, not terribly inspiring from an architectural standpoint, unlike the hospitality building at the adjacent Audi Drive Experience test track, which was slick. But the Formula One engineering buildings did have a buzz about them, and it was in the people. Their enthusiasm and excitement were electric, pardon the pun (the racecars are hybrids).
It was a nice environment to be in, one in which the team was so obviously excited by the challenge but also incredibly honoured and proud to be fielding a legitimately German team in F1. Audi has managed to dominate every type of racing they’ve ever entered, from endurance to Dakar, and everything in between, but F1 is the pinnacle. To tackle it, Audi is focused one hundred per cent on F1, and they know that won’t make it easy, but it will make it possible to succeed.
North American enthusiasm for F1 has exploded in recent years, no doubt because of the popularity of Drive to Survive on Netflix. The show’s docu-dramedy style has given real personality and humanity to what was previously only of interest to car geeks and racing fanatics. Now we’re all invested in the characters and their roller coaster ride that sees technology, talent, style, money, power, and risk collide in the world’s most demanding competition. And with a couple of new teams, dramatic reversals of fortune, high-profile oustings, and cutthroat manoeuvring, this season is proving to be off to an exciting start.
With George Russell on our cover and Formula One-inspired content and shoots throughout the issue, we’ve completely bought into the fandom. F1 is a sexy, dangerous, and expensive spectacle in some of the world’s most exotic locales. It travels with the footprint of a Roman Legion, completely transforming the cities that host it, but the excitement is undeniable. The Montreal Grand Prix is only a few weeks away as I write this, and SHARP will be in town with VIP events pairing our brand partners and selected guests. Look for our coverage online and on our social channels, and don’t be surprised if you take the next on-ramp with just a bit more brio than before!
