Audi F1 Seals Principal Partnership with Visit Qatar

The future Audi F1 Team has confirmed a commercial foundation for its 2026 entry into the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, naming Visit Qatar as a Principal Partner.

The high-value agreement is built around a powerful, shared strategic ambition: leveraging F1’s immense global platform to elevate the Gulf state’s image as a leading tourism and sport centre on the world stage.

Positioning the deal as a natural evolution of their relationship with the country, Team Principal of the future Audi F1 Team, Jonathan Wheatley, said: “The Qatar Grand Prix has grown into a valued destination on the F1 calendar.”

“Welcoming Visit Qatar as a partner… is a natural next step to highlight what makes this country such a remarkable destination,” Wheatley said.

Emphasising the scale of the audience, CEO of Visit Qatar, Eng. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Mawlawi, added: “Formula 1 offers a powerful platform, and this collaboration enables us to present Qatar’s culture, hospitality, and modern appeal to audiences worldwide.”

The multi-faceted commercial deal ensures Audi secures a financially robust partner, while Qatar gains a highly visible global vehicle for nation branding and tourism promotion as the team makes its hotly anticipated honourable debut.

This announcement is particularly significant as it further strengthens the existing, deep commercial relationship between the F1 organisation and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The QIA, which previously acquired a reported substantial minority stake in the Sauber-run operation that will transform into the Audi works team, is now seeing its investment complemented by a major front-of-house sponsorship.

This partnership provides accelerated capital, strategic certainty, and unwavering confidence for Audi’s ambitious 2026 engine and team build-out program.

For Visit Qatar, the principal partnership offers a platform far beyond the singular Grand Prix weekend in Doha. As the team competes across continents, the brand will reach F1’s diverse and international fanbase, showcasing Qatar’s distinctive blend of culture, modernity, and high-end hospitality.

This aligns with Qatar’s strategic long-term vision to diversify its economy and cement its status as a global sports hub, building on the success of events like the FIFA World Cup and the annual Formula 1 race.

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