BERLIIN – The supervisory board of the Volkswagen Group could decide next month whether its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche should compete in Formula 1, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported.
Entry into the racing series popular in Europe would be costly but would give the two brands a stronger market presence in key Asian markets, including China, and a growing audience in the US
According to the newspaper, both Audi boss Markus Duesmann and Porsche boss Oliver Blume want to take part in the competition with their brands.
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali, a former VW Group CEO and head of the Lamborghini supercar brand, is urging the automaker’s board of directors to make an early decision so it can secure lucrative TV marketing deals, the report said.
The supervisory board of the VW group will discuss this at the end of February, the FAZ said, adding that group boss Herbert Diess has long been a supporter of entering Formula 1.
With electrified drives and synthetic fuels, the racing series will be CO2-neutral from 2026.
Under more climate-friendly conditions, the two premium brands could justify a very expensive commitment to Formula 1 from a sustainability perspective.
According to information from the FAZ report, Audi and Porsche want to jointly develop an F1 powertrain in order to save costs. They shouldn’t just be engine suppliers, they should compete with their own racing teams.
The running costs of a top-flight F1 team can easily exceed several hundred million euros per season and only part of this investment is returned in the form of sponsorship money.
According to the report, negotiations with the McLaren and Red Bull racing teams are at an advanced stage. This is a purchase offer for McLaren from Audi and a close Porsche cooperation with Red Bull.
Audi and McLaren denied initial rumors of a McLaren acquisition in November, but McLaren said it was open to a technology collaboration “with relevant partners and suppliers”.
The McLaren F1 team currently uses Mercedes-Benz engines.
In an interview with Auto Bild Motorsport earlier this month, Domenicali made positive overtures to the VW Group.
“I think we have an important month ahead of us in terms of Volkswagen Group’s decision,” he said. “An engagement would be great, but I can’t speak on behalf of VW. I’ve been part of this incredible group for a few years and I know how hard they are working towards the future.”
Porsche previously competed with a team in Formula 1 in the 1950s and 1960s and powered McLaren to four world championship titles in the 1980s. Porsche withdrew from the premier class in 1991.
