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04. June 2026

The history of yellow.

It is the late 1930s. Grand Prix racing is entering one of its most ambitious and dangerous eras, defined by speed, engineering courage and the pursuit of what had never been done before. Auto Union, the company whose four-ring emblem lives on in today’s Audi, had entered this world with radical ambition. Its Grand Prix cars were powerful, mid-engined and far ahead of their time. The team wanted not only to compete with the best, but to redefine what a racing car could be. But by 1938, Auto Union was facing a moment of crisis. The team had lost its great hero, Bernd Rosemeyer, and was navigating major technical and political change. What it needed was more than just another driver. It needed someone with the instinct, bravery and experience to carry the story forward.

Black and white side shot of Tazio Nuvolari

The Flying Mantuan

That driver was Tazio Nuvolari, the legendary "Flying Mantuan," a nickname inspired by his hometown of Mantua and the fearless way he seemed to drive.

When Nuvolari joined Auto Union, the car was unlike anything he had mastered before. It was fast, demanding and unpredictable, yet he adapted with remarkable speed. By the end of 1938, he had taken victories in Italy and Great Britain, proving that true racing instinct could overcome even the most unfamiliar machinery.

Nuvolari was also known for always wearing a yellow sweater when he raced. Over time, that colour became inseparable from his character and from the qualities he embodied on the track.

More than a colour.

That is why we chose yellow. Through Nuvolari’s remarkable racing, yellow has come to represent three defining attributes for us:

Fearlessness

Nuvolari did extraordinary things with a car in an age when motor racing was not only fast, but truly dangerous. The machinery was unforgiving, the brakes were so unreliable that using them could send the car in one direction or another. Nuvolari’s solution? Not to touch them.

Ingenuity

He represented the highest expression of a pioneer in motor racing. Others tried to copy his technique, but his instinct could never be replicated. He drove not by formula, but by feel, intelligence and daring.

Dedication

His greatness was built not only on bravery, but on determination and concentration. He understood the car with exceptional sensitivity and precision, feeling every movement, every shift in balance, every limit.

Audi Revolut F1® Team at the Monaco Grand Prix 2026 featuring the yellow suites

The legacy is alive.

This is the heritage we want to live up to: bold thinking, fearless performance and the confidence to push things forward.  And there is no better place to reclaim that heritage than Monaco. A place built on racing history, glamour, risk and legend. A stage where the past still feels alive, but never old. In Monaco, heritage does not sit still. It moves, it shines and it reminds us where we come from.

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