Audi F1 Team welcomes Visit Qatar as principal partner

Audi’s future F1 team says Visit Qatar will be a principal partner for its 2026 debut, linking fan and digital experiences. Read the details.

The future Audi F1 Team has announced a new top-tier partnership: Visit Qatar will become a principal partner as the project enters the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2026. The collaboration is framed as a shared ambition to bring Qatar closer to the global F1 community—far beyond a single race weekend.

The concept is straightforward: Formula 1 delivers scale and attention, while Visit Qatar supplies the story. The partners say the program will include fan experiences, cultural showcases, and digital activations designed to introduce audiences to Qatar’s blend of tradition, modernity, and hospitality. Notably, the planned touchpoints are positioned both in the paddock and online, signaling an effort to engage fans on-site as well as through year-round digital formats.

Audi’s statement also points to Qatar’s rising profile in global sport and tourism, citing major events such as the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix and the FIFA World Cup. In that context, aligning with a much-anticipated new team entry in 2026 looks like a play for sustained visibility: an F1 season is long, global, and narrative-driven—conditions that can keep a destination brand present throughout the calendar rather than concentrating impact around one weekend.

On the corporate side, the announcement explicitly ties into Qatar’s existing relationship with the Audi F1 project. Audi says the deal further strengthens its connection with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Earlier, the Sauber Group stated that QIA had signed agreements to acquire a significant minority stake in Sauber Holding AG, positioning the fund as a long-term investor and partner supporting the project’s development.

Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley links the partnership to Qatar’s place on the calendar, describing the Qatar Grand Prix as a valued destination and calling the collaboration a natural next step to highlight the country’s culture, warmth, and innovation through fan events, cultural showcases, and digital experiences. From the tourism side, Visit Qatar CEO Eng. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Mawlawi describes the agreement as an important step in advancing global tourism ambitions, with the team’s 2026 debut seen as a moment to create meaningful touchpoints encouraging fans to explore the country.

There is also a broader timing angle. The 2026 season marks the start of new technical regulations in Formula 1, including a move to 100% sustainable fuel, which is expected to bring heightened scrutiny and interest around the championship’s next era. Against that backdrop, a partnership built around cultural and digital experiences appears designed to stand out while the sport—and its audience—turns the page.

Additional context comes from Qatar’s tourism structure and targets. Official government communications state that Qatar Tourism was established in 2021 and that the country’s Tourism Strategy 2030 includes a goal of 6 million visitors by 2030. Public reporting has also pointed to international visits surpassing 5 million in 2024, a backdrop that helps explain why Formula 1 is being treated as a high-impact platform for destination branding.