Audi's arrival in Formula 1 as a full works team is one of the biggest off-track stories of the 2026 season, and Topps has actually told it twice.
There's a standalone, first-ever Audi F1 card product tied directly to the brand's Berlin launch event, and there's a second, separate appearance inside 2026 Topps Chrome Formula 1 itself.
Those are genuinely two different products answering two different collector questions, and conflating them is an easy mistake to make.
Here's both halves of the Audi story, kept clearly apart.
Audi F1 is the works-team rebrand of the former Kick Sauber operation, retaining both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto as its driver lineup for 2026. It's not a new team from scratch, it's an existing grid entry stepping up to full manufacturer status.
That distinction matters for collectors, since Hulkenberg and Bortoleto both already carried prior-season Sauber cards before this rebrand, giving Audi's debut season a built-in driver history that a true brand-new team wouldn't have.
Topps released the first-ever Audi Formula 1 trading cards as a dedicated, standalone product tied to Audi's launch event in Berlin, sold directly through Topps' own website rather than folded into the mainline F1 Chrome checklist.
Pricing runs from £11.99 for a single pack up to £165.99 for a full 20-pack box, and the cards include launch-event team cards alongside a Hulkenberg and Bortoleto driver card bearing both signatures. This is a collectible tied specifically to Audi's brand debut, not a Chrome F1 subset.
Separately, both Audi drivers also appear fully integrated inside 2026 Topps Chrome Formula 1's mainline checklist, including Chrome Autographs and the Vuelta 1 Autographs subset introduced for this release.
They also surface across several insert sets built around race weekends and driver gear, including Austin to Mexico City, Helix, Helmet Collection, and Speed Wheels. A Hulkenberg or Bortoleto pull from any of these belongs behind glass in a magnetic acrylic display case rather than loose in a box.
Launching a standalone Audi product around the Berlin event lets Topps capture a brand-specific marketing moment that has nothing to do with the mainline F1 season calendar, while Chrome F1's own Hulkenberg and Bortoleto content still gives season-long collectors full coverage of the team.
That split isn't unusual for a brand entering the sport as a new manufacturer. It mirrors how other major auto brands have gotten dedicated launch-tied collectibles in the past, separate from a sport's regular annual card release.
If you're specifically chasing Audi's F1 debut as a standalone collectible moment, the Berlin launch product is the only place to find it, since none of that specific content crosses over into Chrome F1.
If you're building a full 2026 season set and simply want Hulkenberg and Bortoleto alongside every other driver on the grid, Chrome F1's own autograph and insert checklist already covers them without needing the separate Audi release at all.
The standalone Audi product is sold in GBP directly through Topps' own site, which means currency conversion and international shipping are real factors for collectors outside the UK buying it specifically.
Chrome F1, by contrast, ships through the same hobby and retail channels as any other flagship Topps release, making it the simpler option logistically if the Audi-specific launch collectible isn't a must-have.
Because Hulkenberg and Bortoleto both arrive with prior-season Sauber cards already in circulation, Audi's own card pool effectively starts with a running head start rather than a blank slate the way a true expansion team's would.
That continuity is worth factoring in if you're building a long-term collection around the team, since early Audi-branded cards sit alongside an existing driver history rather than standing completely on their own.
No, it's the works-team rebrand of the former Kick Sauber operation.
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Directly through Topps' own website, from £11.99 per pack.
Yes, across Chrome Autographs, Vuelta 1 Autographs, and several insert sets.
Whether you're chasing the Berlin launch collectible or just want Hulkenberg and Bortoleto alongside the rest of the 2026 grid, each product answers a different part of the Audi story. An EVORETRO graded card sleeve keeps either pull in pristine shape until you decide how to display it.
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