Freddie Slater, the reigning Formula Regional European Champion, has joined the Audi Formula 1 Driver Development Programme for the 2026 season. At just 17 years old, Slater has already achieved impressive titles in the UAE and Italian Formula 4, as well as the FRECA title last year. He will compete in his first full F3 season with TRIDENT Racing, a team that has produced the last three F3 champions, including Audi F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto.<\/p>\n
Slater expressed his excitement and honor to be joining Audi, citing the brand’s legendary motorsport history and his dream of reaching Formula One. He emphasized his focus on the current championship challenge and his determination to make the most of the opportunity to work with TRIDENT and Audi. Audi’s director of the development programme, Allan McNish, praised Slater’s immense potential, track record, and dedication, making him an ideal candidate to be the first signing of the programme.<\/p>\n
The partnership between Slater and Audi strengthens his chances of securing a full-time F1 seat and provides him with the necessary backing and support that junior drivers often lack. McNish stated that Audi is committed to providing Slater with the tools, mentorship, and support he needs to succeed as he steps up to F3 with TRIDENT Motorsport. This move marks the first step in building Audi’s future on and off the track as they prepare for their maiden F1 season.<\/p>\n
Slater’s journey to F1 has been impressive so far, and this new partnership with Audi is expected to accelerate his progress. With TRIDENT Racing’s successful track record and Audi’s support, Slater is well-positioned to make a strong impression in the F3 championship and potentially secure a spot in F1 in the near future. Audi’s investment in Slater demonstrates their commitment to developing young talent and building a strong foundation for their F1 team. As the 2026 season gets underway, Slater and Audi will be ones to watch in the world of motorsport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Freddie Slater, the reigning Formula Regional European Champion, has joined the Audi Formula 1 Driver Development Programme for the 2026 season. At just 17 years old, Slater has already achieved impressive titles in the UAE and Italian Formula 4, as well as the FRECA title last year. He will compete in his first full F3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audi","category-automobile"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9x89j-zvZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":136515,"url":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/2026\/01\/audi-appoints-legendary-figure-as-director-to-lead-junior-f1-programme\/","url_meta":{"origin":136523,"position":0},"title":"Audi appoints legendary figure as director to lead junior F1 programme","author":"Team Small News","date":"January 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Audi has launched its own driver development program, with the goal of finding and nurturing young talent to compete in Formula 1. The program will be led by Allan McNish, a former Formula 1 driver and endurance racing champion, who will serve as its director. McNish has a long history\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audi"","block_context":{"text":"Audi","link":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/category\/audi\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":136361,"url":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/2026\/01\/get-up-close-with-the-latest-audi-revolut-formula-1-team-car-design\/","url_meta":{"origin":136523,"position":1},"title":"Get Up-Close with the Latest Audi Revolut Formula 1 Team Car Design","author":"Team Small News","date":"January 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Audi is set to unveil its inaugural 2026 Formula 1 car, the Audi Revolut F1 Team, on January 20, 2026, in Berlin. This marks a significant milestone for the company as it transitions from a strategic partner to a full works team. The launch will feature a \"digital-first\" livery that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audi"","block_context":{"text":"Audi","link":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/category\/audi\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136523\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallnews.in\/automobile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}