Breaking – New teams to enter F1!

By Joe Murphy

German car companies Audi and Porsche are set to enter Formula 1, the boss of the Volkswagen group, revealed on Monday.

Chief Executive, Herbert Diess, said discussions about F1 at board level had previously created divisions within the shareholders, but it is clear now that it would be an economically beneficial move.

“You just run out of arguments [against it],” Diess argued.

Diess added that Porsche’s preparations were more concrete than Audi’s, without specifying the specific details. However, rumours are that Porsche is to be preparing an alliance with constructor, Red Bull.

If a deal can be agreed, Porsche would partner with the team’s new engine division, which has been set up to design build the Charging Bulls’ own power-unit for the new engine regulations due in F1 in 2026, and the team would run as Red Bull-Porsche.

Audi, on the other hand, will come in as a team of its own, potentially buying out an existing team. It is said to have had talks with McLaren, Sauber, Aston Martin and Williams. With these four not seemingly going anywhere, a new team in its own right entering the sport, seems a more realistic possibility.

This is a long-standing rumour. Last year, news broke that the company was again considering an entry, as long as the new engine rules went in a way that suited it.
This now is set to be the case, with F1’s new initiatives on sustainability at the forefront of the decision.

Last month, the VW Board approved in principle the idea of Porsche and Audi entering F1, once the engine rules were confirmed. The FIA has not yet fully clarified the engine regulations but the overall feeling is clear, with an ever more hybrid option, the most likely outcome.