Audi has unveiled its plans to join the Formula 1 circus with an agreement to buy a majority share of the Sauber team and line up on the F1 grid for the first time in 2026. It will be the first time the German giant has turned its attention to the pinnacle of motorsport, and this got us thinking. What is Audi hoping to achieve by heading to F1? In more than 70 years, some of the world’s biggest and more famous car manufacturers have tried their luck, and it has to be said, the list of those that have achieved success is pretty short. Put it this way, the dominance of Mercedes over the past decade is something of an anomaly. Let’s take a look at some other car manufacturers that didn’t quite leave the mark on the sport they were hoping for.