Why Audi Revolut F1 Team WILL Become F1 World Champions | Allan McNish (E423)

**Jake Humphrey** (0:00)
Welcome to the Audi Revolut Formula One Team, and thank you to Revolut Business. We are not just at the team, we are in the heart of the building. This is the team brand new to Formula One, and I'm about to sit down with a man who's central to what's been happening here, a man who used to race in Formula One, a man who's won the MOLG three times, a man who is now the racing director of this team, Allan McNish. I'm going to find out what makes him tick, what his hopes are for the team, and why he believes one day, Audi Revolut F1 Team will be the world champions. I was with David Coulthard, I said, come on, what's Allan McNish like really? And David said, hard as nails. You had times where you had to be lifted out of your car, right?

**Allan McNish** (0:39)
If it had been 10 centimeters lower, it would have embedded itself. Goodness knows what would have happened to me. That's McNish! That's Allan McNish!
Taste of champagne gives you the energy back, doesn't it?

**Jake Humphrey** (0:49)
Allan is okay.

**Allan McNish** (0:51)
I remember the great Eddie Jordan telling me the Audi is coming into Formula One. I said, I don't know about that, mate. Bringing the whole thing together with a power unit and also a chassis. We've got all of those things in place. There's absolutely no question we will be the champions. Never fear a storm.

**Jake Humphrey** (1:09)
Be ready to adapt. The skill is staying true to ourselves. Allan, thanks for having us at your headquarters.

**Allan McNish** (1:18)
Thank you.

**Jake Humphrey** (1:19)
So here we are halfway through your first season as the Audi Formula One Team. How would you describe the journey this year so far?

**Allan McNish** (1:26)
Exciting, I would say.
In overall, we always think about Melbourne, the first race, being the first. But actually this has been quite a few years in the planning. And so from that point of view, it was just the next sort of milestone, if you like. But the real milestone, because it's a racing team. You're going live, you're going to the circuit. All that build up is now coming to life, to fruition.
And as we get to coming up to the midpoint of the season, we look back on it with, I think, two sides, personally. One of them is the fact that we're here, we've achieved quite a lot. But what can we achieve going forward? Because we're always about what's next, as opposed to what's behind us. And so right now, my eyes are sort of focused forward. But you've got to learn from what's behind you as well.

**Jake Humphrey** (2:17)
So what have you learned then from what's behind you as you look forward?

**Allan McNish** (2:20)
It's a pinnacle. Formula One, it is difficult. It's a challenge in so many ways, not just because of the competition's been around for such a long period of time, but because you just go from race to race. There's not a time where you can take a breath, take stock and then start again. And the fact is you're developing constantly as well as racing constantly, as well as the fact that you're planning for not just next year, 28, 29 and down the road. So effectively, I would say it's everything but flat out, it's full speed and it's one of the most exciting things about it. But right now, for us as a team, we're a team with a lot of growth from what was the previous generation in 2025 But at the same time as well, bringing the whole thing together with a power unit and also a chassis, and bringing the name of Audi into Formula One, then that has been definitely one of the highlights. But it's also been, it's got a challenge and it's got a requirement to deliver. And that's what we're trying to do.

**Jake Humphrey** (3:26)
I don't think we talk about emotion often enough in sport, particularly actually in Formula One. I'm interested in what for you was the most emotional moment. Was it when you knew this was happening, there was going to be an Audi F1 Team? Was it the first race? Was it the first practice session, the qualifying session, the first points?

**Allan McNish** (3:42)
There were different points because obviously this is a big time from Audi's perspective. There's been a lot of times in the past when there's been rumours. I remember with the great Eddie Jordan sitting there and he's telling me Audi's coming into Formula One. I said, well, I don't know about that, mate. And ultimately it's happened this time. So when it was signed off by the board and when the regulations came out and Audi were the first power unit manufacturer to sign on the dotted line, then that was a moment because that was live, we're real, it's done, it's moving forward.