Audi Takes F1 to Singapore’s Streets
Audi is taking a decidedly different approach to Singapore grand prix week, spreading its Formula 1 presence far beyond the Marina Bay circuit with a city-wide programme covering food, fashion, running, retail and public race screenings.
The Audi Revolut F1 Team has unveiled “The Art of Influence”, a series of fan activations running across Singapore around the 2026 Grand Prix. Rather than concentrating everything behind the paddock gates, Audi wants supporters without race tickets to encounter the team throughout the city.
It is also another sign of how seriously Audi is treating Formula 1 as more than simply a racing programme during its debut season. The German manufacturer is using F1 as a platform to build its identity with new audiences, and few races offer a better stage for that than Singapore.
Bortoleto and Hulkenberg get their own gelato
Perhaps the most unusual part of Audi’s Singapore programme involves drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, whose names have been combined to create something unlikely to appear on an F1 timing screen anytime soon: GABICO.
The limited-edition gelato has been developed with Singapore botanical gelato company Birds of Paradise and will be sold at its Craig Road and Beach Road locations from 3 to 11 October.
It sounds like classic Grand Prix-week marketing, but there is a wider idea behind it. Audi is deliberately tying its drivers and F1 operation into recognisable parts of Singapore rather than simply dropping a show car into a shopping centre and calling the job done.
Fans taking part can also collect a dedicated digital Audi Revolut F1 Team Card through the team's online campaign hub, giving them another entry into Audi's Singapore prize draw.
R26 heads into central Singapore
There will still be some more traditional F1 machinery on display.
From 8 to 11 October, Audi's R26 show car will take up position at Funan Mall, where an Audi RS 5 will also be displayed as part of a joint activation with adidas.
Audi's special Singapore merchandise collection will be available through the adidas store, while Bortoleto and Hulkenberg are also scheduled to make a public appearance at the mall.
The Singapore-specific clothing range uses a design inspired by the city's architecture, culture and energy, forming part of a broader visual identity Audi will use throughout the race weekend.
Another RS 5 will appear at the Audi House of Progress, where Audi has teamed up with Burnt Ends Bakery and Michelin-starred chef Dave Pynt. A special food offering, coffee and co-branded products will be available there between 3 and 11 October.
Audi turns Singapore into a digital F1 hunt
Linking the various activities together is a digital platform on Audi's F1 website.
Supporters can register and collect virtual Team Cards by visiting participating locations, completing activities or interacting with campaign content. Those cards unlock digital collectibles and entries into competitions for team-related experiences.
There is a rather substantial carrot at the end of it.
Each Team Card collected during Singapore Grand Prix week counts as an entry into a draw in which one winner, accompanied by a guest, will receive a VIP trip to the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It effectively turns Audi's Singapore programme into a city-wide scavenger hunt, encouraging supporters to move between the different activations rather than treating each one as an isolated sponsor event.
Running before racing
Those wanting something slightly more energetic than gelato can join a four-kilometre community run on Sunday morning, 11 October.
Organised with adidas, World of Hyatt and local running clubs, the route starts at Andaz Singapore before heading towards Funan Mall, where participants can stop for a photograph with the R26 show car before returning to the hotel.
Completing the run also unlocks another Team Card and the opportunity to win merchandise from Audi's Singapore collection.
For fans more interested in watching others do the sweating, Paulaner Brewery will become one of Audi's Grand Prix viewing locations from 8 to 11 October. The venue will carry dedicated race-week broadcasts alongside limited-edition merchandise and another digital badge linked to the competition.
Strategy chief reveals another side of Singapore
Audi is also using one of the less publicly visible members of its F1 operation to explore the city.
Head of Race Strategy Rithvik Dhananjay, who has family links to Singapore, will front a food-focused content series built around his favourite locations.
The resulting Audi F1 food guide will highlight hawker centres and street-food destinations across the city, giving fans another route into the campaign away from the usual driver appearances and sponsor events.
Audi Chief Brand and Commercial Officer Stefano Battiston said the intention was to make the team accessible to supporters regardless of whether they hold a Grand Prix ticket.
“From the beginning, we promised to bring Formula 1 closer to people,” Battiston said. “In Singapore, we are putting that promise into practice through experiences shaped by the city’s culture and communities.”
Audi builds its identity beyond the paddock
There is plenty of corporate machinery behind the programme, but the underlying strategy is interesting.
Audi only entered Formula 1 as a works team in 2026 and is still building the identity of a project it ultimately wants fighting for world championships by 2030. That means establishing a fanbase matters alongside developing the car, power unit and race organisation.
Singapore provides Audi with an unusually good opportunity to do exactly that. The night race already blends Formula 1 with entertainment and city life more visibly than most events on the calendar, and Audi's approach effectively stretches that concept beyond Marina Bay itself.
Whether supporters come across the team through an R26, a morning run, a race screening or a gelato named after Bortoleto and Hulkenberg, the objective is much the same.
Audi wants its Formula 1 presence to be difficult to miss in Singapore — even for those who never get anywhere near the paddock.
