Porsche are rumored to join forces with Red Bull Racing.
The Volkswagen Group is set to join the top flight of motorsport by 2026 according to CEO Herbert Diess. The future regulation changes will allow sufficient time for both Porsche and Audi to start development on the future spec car.
Porsche are rumored to join forces with Red Bull Racing.
The regulation changes which are set to be implemented by 2026 will allow the German group’s subsidiary of Porsche and Audi to get involved at a competitive level when the playing field will be required to power their Formula 1 car with fully sustainable synthetic fuel. A few weeks ago, we made mention that Porsche had invested in a large facility in South America that is delving into this technology, salvation for the internal combustion engine.
It was stated that full development of this engine would take up to three to four years so this should provide the Volkswagen Group with enough localised research and development time while all other existing Formula 1 teams will need to juggle the ongoing season and the required development too.
When asked about the choice of Formula 1, Diess stated: “If you do motorsport, you should do Formula 1 as that’s where the impact is greatest.” He further stated in a German livestream on the official VW Group page on YouTube titled “Dialog with Diess” that without significant regulation changes, it could take between five to ten years to compete for the championship.
Both Porsche and Audi have commenced with their development journey already although the Volkswagen Group has remained tight-lipped about how exactly the two automakers will enter the Formula 1 field. Speculation alludes that Porsche have made more progress and are set to collaborate with current title-holders Red Bull Racing. All rumours of Audi buying McLaren have been quashed by Laura Conrad, PR Manager at McLaren.
While not all board members of the Volkswagen Group voted in favour of this motorsport move, the sustainable and synthetic fuel requirement should undoubtedly improve perception of the automakers after the Dieselgate scandal. Until then, brace yourself for the diesel jokes.
Keyword: Volkswagen Group set to join Formula 1 with Porsche and Audi