Audi and BP tested 200 blends as fuel becomes a performance component

Formula 1’s new generation of sustainable fuels is about much more than replacing fossil petrol. Before the start of the 2026 season, BP evaluated 70 components for Audi, developed 400 pilot samples and tested 200 different blends in the German manufacturer’s new power unit.

The scale of the work is equally revealing: around 240,000 litres of test fuel were delivered to Audi’s engine facility in Neuburg. The challenge is to meet the new advanced sustainable-fuel requirements while optimising efficiency, power, reliability and the interaction with combustion.

This development will continue to evolve alongside the engines themselves. For Audi, which is contesting its first season with its own power unit, fuel has therefore become a genuine performance parameter rather than a standardised consumable.