German carmaker Audi will enter Formula One starting with the 2026 season, the company said on Friday, committing itself to a sporting and prestige project potentially costing hundreds of millions of euros.

It was a "special moment," said Audi boss Markus Duesmann at a press conference ahead of the Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. "We will in 2026 start racing in F1," he said, reports DPA.

In a separate statement, the company said that Audi would announce by year's end with which team it would partner for races.

The company also said the point is not simply to race, but to use the massive investment to put its technical prowess on display.

Duesmann described motorsport as part of Audi's "DNA."

F1 President Stefano Domenicali said it was "a major moment for our sport."

"It is also a big recognition that our move to sustainably-fuelled hybrid engines in 2026 is a future solution for the automotive sector. We are all looking forward to seeing the Audi logo on the grid and will be hearing further details from them on their plans in due course," he said.