Audi tells FIA it intends to confirm F1 entry early next year

2021 F1 season

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Audi intends to confirm early next year its plans to enter to Formula 1, the manufacturer has advised the sport and its governing body, the FIA.

Audi board chairman Markus Duesmann and Audi Technical Development board member Oliver Hoffmann indicated the manufacturer is satisfied with the progress the FIA has made with new technical regulations for the 2026 power units.

F1 is seeking a new manufacturer to join Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault following the departure of Honda, whose engines will now be prepared by Red Bull. Two Volkswagen Group brands, Audi and Porsche, have shown interest, and the former has now indicated it is close to making a commitment.

In a letter sent on Tuesday Duesmann and Hoffmann told F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and outgoing FIA president Jean Todt they believe the draft regulations offer a fair compromise for newcomers and existing competitors, as well as meeting the objectives agreed for the new power units.

Feature: Audi’s winning record across motorsport makes an F1 entry a thrilling possibility
The FIA World Motor Sport Council subsequently confirmed the 2026 power units will retain the existing 1.6-litre V6 engines and increase the amount of electrical energy they can generate, while doing away with the expensive MGU-H. Power unit costs will also be capped for the first time.

The management board and supervisory board of Audi will now decide whether to formally approve its entry into the championship.

In an apparent swipe to rivals Mercedes, Duesmann and Hoffmann opened their the letter – seen by RaceFans – by congratulating Todt on what it regarded as a fair conclusion to this year’s Formula 1 championship. They referred specifically to the final lap, on which Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton to clinch the title following a controversial restart, which Mercedes considered appealing against for four days before backing down.

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89 comments on “Audi tells FIA it intends to confirm F1 entry early next year”

  1. The fools at the FIA and Formula 1 did it again. Change their rules to accommodate a new engine supplier that hasn’t even committed to F1.

    1. They did it for Ford and oh well.
      I guess we have an insatiable lust for something new and contempt for familiarity.

    2. As F1 to me is pinnacle of technical development, I see it as a step backwards to remove the MGU-H.

      Let’s see how they adjust their ‘most efficient’ catch phrase.

      1. Absolutely agree !
        Dumbing down for “cost cutting “ stoopid move FIA !

      2. You say that, but the debacle has been relentless on the new engines since their introduction. The sound, reliability, the cost, the complexity… The complaints have been endless from fans and drivers alike, although the latter less these days.

        If F1 is to be the pinnacle of technical development it will require for the combustion engine to be a smaller and smaller part of the generation of power. So some compromises need to be made. F1’s future is more important than the fate of any individual manufacturer. The reality is that Mercedes would likely be the only one protesting this given their success and investment over the last few years. Renault clearly wanted the simpler engines, Ferrari road cars, per their C suite, will never go the full electric route, Honda is going away. So again, what’s the great risk?

    3. Chicken egg … perhaps you’d prefer 2 manufacturers providing all the engines in F1?

      Best you leave the thinking to those in positions to do it …

      1. When you commit to harming your current suppliers to get another one in but fail to get said new potential supplier to sign by the deadline you publically set, you played chicken and came up fried egg.

  2. Red Bull – Audi ?

    1. Mclaren

      1. someone or something
        20th December 2021, 16:51

        Judging by the purported jab at Mercedes (I’d prefer to see the exact wording, because it’s not like this site has never subjected us to mainpulative interpretations before), Red Bull does sound an awful lot more plausible.
        Also, there have been rumours linking Red Bull to Audi since at least 2010.
        What about McLaren? Well, Jost Capito, who used to work for VW, had a very brief stint at McLaren, at a time when their relationship with Honda was deteriorating rapidly. That brief period is the only time that saw any significant mention of McLaren-Audi rumours.

        Also, Red Bull have just lost their engine manufacturer partnership, and negotiated a freeze in engine development in order to be able to step in – very reluctantly – as their own engine manufacturer. And they’ve just clinched a world championship. Doesn’t that look like an infinitely more promising partnership for an engine manufacturer than a partnership with a team that’s been an also-ran for 9 years now?

        1. Why start Red Bull powertrains, employ lots of expensive Mercedes engineers and then have a need for Audi to do the heavy lifting?

          1. Perhaps Audi will take on RBPowertrains. Might make start up costs less and will already be embedded in RB. A similar image to Mercedes F1 and Mercedes Powertrains in Brixworth.

          2. someone or something
            20th December 2021, 18:09

            @andyfromsandy

            Why start Red Bull powertrains, employ lots of expensive Mercedes engineers

            Because they didn’t have another choice.
            (Okay, they technically did, but it was beneath them to beg for Ferrari or Renault to take them back)
            Red Bull’s priorities are, in that order:
            1. No Renault!
            2. No engine supply from a manufacturer that also supplies a works team
            3. Not being an engine manufacturer

            They didn’t want to end up building their own engines – and they’ve lobbied hard to get the rules amended so that the impact of their viability as an engine manufacturer gets reduced to a minimum – but it was the bullet they had to bite.
            Audi’s arrival might make this a bit redundant, but Red Bull have 4 long seasons ahead of them (2026!), and even with frozen engines, they desperately need the know-how to keep delivering PUs that are on a comparable level to what they’ve enjoyed this season.

          3. someone or something I don’t have the impression that RBR are reluctant at all to become makers of their own pu. I think it is the opposite and they are excited for it. Sure, if F1 and the teams hadn’t agreed to the pu freeze RBR would be in a jam, back to customer status, but by all accounts everyone in F1 was happy to agree to not having to spend more money on pu(s) that have already had many years development, at a time of budget caps and with this pu soon enough becoming redundant. And F1 is happy to keep another maker in F1 by RBR continuing to build and maintain the Honda pu. In a few years if not sooner they’ll be R&D’ing the new for 2026 pu. Perhaps RBR will be an engine supplier themselves.

            So no I don’t think RBR is anything but thrilled to be building themselves up to no longer depending on someone else’s pu, and Horner has spoken about actually being more in-house than Mercedes, by having their pu and their chassis developed hand in hand under the same roof, even as opposed to Mercedes making their pu’s in another building a few km away from their chassis headquarters. RBR have their own capable staff, there is some personnel leaving Honda (staying put) and joining RBR, and they have recruited other people from the likes of Mercedes, so I’m quite confident that RBR are doing all the right things not only to keep maintaining the current pus, but in another four years they’ll be well prepared to design and build their own next generation pu.

            Horner said he would look at a partnership (eg Audi) if it made sense for them, but the impression I got was that they would no longer be a customer of someone else’s pu, so if Audi gets involved with them it will be by bringing their own knowledge and personnel to RBR’s Powertrain Unit, imho. Oh for all I know Audi could join them and even end up with their name on the car as the RBR pu maker, but going by the language of Horner it would still be a works in-house deal and not a situation of Audi making a pu that RBR slaps into the car. RBR’s future is at their own Powertrain Unit making their whole cars under one roof.

          4. @andyfromsandy the argument is that it would be a nice backdoor way for another powertrain OEM to enter by buying Red Bull’s powertrain division and taking the development from them. Racer.com detailed that thought process in one of their Q&A posts (I think) but the logic is sensible if Mercedes & Ferrari can’t supply them and Renault refuse to after Horner’s criticism of them in the V6 era (and gaining nothing from the 4 years of domination in the early 2010s). I wouldn’t be surprised if Red Bull end up selling it and make a decent profit when they likely do so.

          5. @robbie and @skydiverian – both of you seem to be working under an erroneous assumption, which is that Red Bull owns the intellectual property rights for Honda’s power unit.

            That is not the case – Honda has given Red Bull licencing rights to the intellectual property that they need for the power unit to be produced under licence, but those IP rights still reside with Honda, not Red Bull. Horner can say what he wants, but if Honda doesn’t consent to another team having access to their IP, he can forget about dreams of Red Bull being a power unit supplier.

            Similarly, the fact that Honda is only licencing, not selling, the IP rights to Red Bull raises the question of whether they can actually undertake any research and development that ends up incorporating Honda’s IP into the final product.

            I know that there have been those talking excitedly about Red Bull selling that division on to another manufacturer as the basis for entry – but it’s based on the erroneous assumption that they have a power unit design to sell, which they don’t.

          6. @andyfromsandy

            As far back as post race Brazil, Joe Saward was reporting that discussions were taking place between not only Audi and Mclaren F1, but also BMW and Mclaren Automotive

          7. anon I haven’t claimed, nor recall reading Horner speak of selling pu’s to customers, but I do speculate that by 2026 they may be capable of doing so, as my understanding is they will be independent pu makers by then, of the next gen pu. I take your point about Honda still owning the IP to the current PU. I also don’t envision them selling their Powertrain Unit so I am not one who has been ‘talking excitedly’ about that. I merely see RBR already having the resources and infrastructure developing and growing as we speak such that they will be able to carry the ball with the current pu until the next pu formula comes up, by which time they will be an independent designer and manufacturer of their own pu, and therefore at which point they could potentially, imho, be a supplier to a customer team, if that were to make sense to them and to any potential customers. With time needed to R&D the new pu format for 2026, I see RBR by 2024 well capable with staff and resources of starting that process ahead of 2026 in lockstep with the other pu makers in F1, towards making their own pu hand in hand with what I presume will also be a next gen 2026 car.

    2. Audi or Porsche to buy Mercedes?

      1. I think Hell will freeze over before that happens there is no love between them.

    3. @aapje, clearly Red Bull racing.

      It is a done deal. Look at the racing numbers in the background of the picture. 33 and 11, the numbers of Max and Checo.

      :-)

  3. Well, well.

    Nice scoop there!

  4. That’s good news! I wonder if they will go for a works team or if they’d just supply Red Bull!

    1. @afonic Of course I couldn’t possibly know the answer to that but I will suggest that they will either be a works team or a supplier to someone other than Red Bull. I say that based on what Horner has said about their new Powertrain Unit where they will be capable of maintaining the currently frozen pu’s through 2025, and where they plan on being totally independent after that and capable of building and developing the next gen of F1 pu on their own, in-house.

      Horner didn’t entirely discount taking on a partner for 2026 if it makes sense to do so, but I think they would prefer not to, and they will likely never again be a customer for PUs, and so imho if they did take Audi in it would be Audi personnel and expertise setting up and merging at RBR’s Powertrain Unit with their existing personnel (some of their own, some from Honda who have joined RBR, and some from Mercedes who they have poached) so that everything can be done under one roof.

      1. F1 need more suppliers. I would hope F1 will be able to insist all engine suppliers need to be prepared to supply any team if required and not have single team tie-ups.

  5. Audi, the pillar of motorsport integrity. Schieb ihn raus, Mick!

    1. someone or something
      20th December 2021, 16:26

      You’re not wrong, but in terms of terrible unsporting behaviour, Audi and Mercedes both reign(ed) supreme in the DTM.

  6. – by congratulating Todt on what it regarded as a fair conclusion to this year’s Formula 1 championship

    Already starting with politics 4 years before their entry.
    The night of longs knives is suddenly revealing more and more participants.

    1. Agreed. What a weird way to begin such a letter.

      1. A weird way is to congratulate on the successful season? Perception in UK differs from the rest of the world. If you only listen to your own your impression may be that we all agree and see things from Hamilton’s perspective. All that’s OK and easy to understand, but Audi is not British.

        1. You simply congratulate on a successful championship, talking about fairness not necessary and it has nothing to do with seeing things from Hamilton’s perspective. It is a potential participant sucking up to the regulators perhap.

          I don’t get why everything has to be about Hamilton and Verstappen and it is an immature way of relating with the sport.

        2. Audi is not British

          Neither is Mercedes…

        3. If you read these forums you should know that the perception is not solely British. That said, the fact that it may be British biased should hardly be a shock. If Max threw grenades at Lewis car, there would still be more British complaints, but that would hardly invalidate the complaints.

      2. @uzsjgb That’s what I was thinking

    2. someone or something
      20th December 2021, 16:29

      The night of longs knives is suddenly revealing more and more participants.

      Quick reality check: Do you have any idea how insane this makes you sound?

      1. Perhaps you’ve come across a certain Julius Caeser in your history books

        1. someone or something
          20th December 2021, 18:19

          Yes, I’ve read a book or two he wrote before becoming a knife holder.
          I’ve also come across a certain chap named Ernst Röhm.

          The thing is, there is a gulf between:
          a) knowing about the term ‘Night of the Long Knives’ and its metaphorical use, and on the other hand
          b) alleging that there was a conspiracy to cost Hamilton the title, and
          c) that Audi was a part of it

          Sanity ends with a (according to most), but it most definitely ends before c.

          1. There is also something as the conspiracy of silence.
            All this doesn’t mean people sat down to plan this, but that they are happy about the outcome.
            Anyways you read too far into a simple statement.
            Lets look at it this way. The FIA need more motor companies, they can’t attract these companies if they are afraid one company keeps winning all the time.
            The potential new entrant will want a guarantee that they can achieve some reasonable level of success based on their investment. Why throw in lots of money and Mercedes just keeps winning.
            The past few years had become almost so predictable -even if only at the end of the year – and I too wanted something different and exciting.
            Liberty want something new.
            Netflix want some excitement.
            The FIA wants to give those it is courting hope.
            The teams competing kind of want a new feeling.
            The Dutch fans have become a new marketing sector in F1.

            All of the above and more puts pressure on individuals running the business.
            It doesn’t in anyway imply people sat down and planned anything because the word conspiracy was input by you and not me.
            It doesn’t mean it is about Hamilton, it seems it is about Mercedes.
            Research the comments Jost of Williams made about the Jeddah steward decisions it seems very similar to the Audi statement.
            By the way, I’m writing this with a clear head and sipping some tea. I’m not the least bothered about the outcome. I am more interested in the process. In mathematics there are steps to getting solutions to problems. You just don’t get answers without following some steps, even if you know the answer you must back it up with a proof.
            The FIA needs to change the way it does some things. They apply a lot of advanced technologies in many areas of the sport or recently show, then leave critical decisions to primitive rational such as ” I didn’t see it”.
            Please don’t take this too seriously no intention to slight anyone just finding it odd the statement of a potential new entrant.

          2. someone or something
            20th December 2021, 22:48

            you read too far into a simple statement

            but anyway, let me list of every single person or entity that has contributed to this by existing and/or saying something that rubbed me the wrong way. I am also totes calm and sipping tea, because agitation is what separates insane conspiracy theories from sound, rational thought. So, checkmate.

            Yeah.

  7. I do hope they follow through with this! If so, we could have some exciting times in store.

  8. Finally some positive news! Hopefully this opens the door for 1 or 2 more as well. The more the merrier.

    1. @canadianjosh Agreed. Some more evidence that F1 is taking some good measures for the future.

  9. I need the pettiness of Audi in F1. That piece of trolling is epic.

  10. I need the pettiness of Audi in F1. That level of mischief is epic.

  11. I wonder if this will provoke BMW to rejoining at some point? Seems like it’ll be quite a lot of “das Gesicht verlieren” if they are the only ones of the “big 3” in Germany to not be participating at the pinnacle of motorsport…

  12. Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
    20th December 2021, 16:47

    In an apparent swipe to rivals Mercedes, Duesmann and Hoffmann opened their the letter – seen by RaceFans – by congratulating Todt on what it regarded as a fair conclusion to this year’s Formula 1 championship

    I already like them

  13. My new year’s resolution is not to procrastinate!

  14. Audi coming in and immediately taking a swipe at Mercedes is an interesting move. Guess they’re not friendly?

    Wonder how they’ll join. Branding the former Honda unit for Red Bull or taking over the engine supply? Taking a large share of Williams would be a good option too.

    1. No just read DTM from several years ago…

  15. To be honest I really don’t understand why Audi would join F1.
    It costs a lot of money that Audi should be spending on EV transformation. For example by 2026, all new company cars in Belgium (more than half of new cars!) have to be zero emission. I know Belgium is small, but it is a trend and other countries are even further.

    And what is there to gain? Knowing how to make better ICE engine? Not really usable or too expensive for road-going cars apparently since it is already 7 years since the new engines are there. Non-F1 manufacturers seem to be making more plugin hybrids than Honda, Renault or Mercedes. So participating in F1 doesn’t seem to give an edge.

    Learning how to use carbon zero fuels? I seriously doubt this is the future for new cars (maybe for oldtimers). It will be way more expensive than EV’s for Total Cost of Ownership. And F1 participation is not needed for that.

    So marketing? Seems very expensive and would be a better fit for Porsche.

    1. There is no ‘zero’ emission cars! As long as electricity is produced by likes of Neurath Power Station zero emission cars exist only in heads of people mislead by prevailing narrative being in total discord with the reality.

      1. Firstly, there ARE zero emission cars. Your perspective may be a valid one, but it does not invalidate the concept of zero emission cars.

        Secondly, even within your own narrative I do not get your point. Electricity is continuing to be generated by increasing amounts of renewable energy. I am unsure anyone expects this to effect a wholesale change overnight, but heading in the right direction is a positive isn’t it?

    2. Zero emission doesn’t necessarily mean all-electric power-trains. Audi has been investing heavily in renewable synthetic fuels which can be used in existing gasoline or diesel engines. I believe F1 is going in this direction too, so it would be a pretty good match in marketing terms. ICEs are not going away for a long, long time, despite the pipe-dreams of certain governments.

      1. Everything I read about renewable fuels indicates they require more energy to make than they can deliver to the car.
        And then it is burned in an ICE engine that loses 50 to 70% of the energy in heat that is utterly wasted. F1 will even drop the MGU-H!?
        People complain that an EV seems to be less efficient at high speed or in cold weather. This is actually true, but the biggest difference with an ICE engine is that it has an efficiency of around 90% vs road going ICE cars of 40%. The extra energy needed for high speed or cold weather is less noticable when ICE is already wasting 60% in heat.

        1. Yes, indeed – they require huge amounts of energy to create (at least with the current state of technology). The assumption (and it’s a big one) is that they will be synthesized with low or zero emission power sources such as nuclear or solar.
          Obviously the attraction is they are a drop-in replacement for dino fuels, especially in the second and third world where buying millions of new shiny electric cars just isn’t an option.

  16. A strict watch on the fuel consumption .

  17. Red Bull Quatro

  18. Hang on. I thought no new manufacturers would want to go near F1 in the future due to the result of the Abu Dhabi GP? As it’s not a sport anymore, or something like that.

    1. I’d wait until they actually submit a firm entry application before crowing Andy. I’m sure this isn’t the first time they’ve talked in future tense.

    2. @red-andy as others have noted, they’ll believe it when a VW Group entry actually turns up on the grid, given that they have previously made this sort of promise and then walked away from the sport.

      In 2012, Wolfgang Durheimer, who was serving as the head of the VW Group’s motorsport division at the time, submitted a similar letter of intent and also put forward a proposal to the board of VW for them to enter Formula 1. The regulations were rewritten to accommodate the VW Group’s requests – it’s why the original proposal was for four cylinder engines – but, having done that, the VW walked out of the discussions and the formal vote by the board of directors was deferred indefinitely, before eventually being cancelled.

      Similarly, in 2019, Fritz Enzinger confirmed that Porsche were supposed to have again opened talks with the FIA, and later on Liberty Media, back in 2017 with a promise to enter in 2021 – but, once again, even though there were supposed to have been fairly firm commitments by Porshce about entering, that also came to nothing.

      1. Of course a big difference now being the budget caps and the fairer money distribution and the new cars that may well have the likes of Audi much more excited about the prospects of F1 now, and going forward. The work Liberty Media is doing to promote F1 on social media. The heading towards carbon neutrality etc etc. Of course yes, let’s believe it when we see it, but also let’s try not to compare to the past when circumstances were much different. The likes of Audi imho likely see more light at the end of the tunnel than they have for quite a while in terms of investment in F1.

        1. @robbie the fairer money distribution makes no difference if they were entering only as a power unit supplier, as indicated by this article, because the power unit manufacturer doesn’t get paid by the commercial rights holder.

          Rumours about the VW Group entering F1 have been circulated for around 30 years now – you can talk all you want about “oh, this time it’s different”, but that excuse has been used a lot of times in the past.

          Even now, this article states that the deal hasn’t been agreed with the board of directors at Audi – the situation is similar to that of 2012-2013, where VW’s representatives to the engine talks agreed with the technical regulations and promised that they would ask the board of directors to vote on going ahead with the project, but that ended up never happening.

          1. anon I was really just speaking in generalities about the wholly new direction and chapter that is happening in F1, and how that should imho inspire the Audi’s of the world to have a much closer look at F1. I wasn’t thinking specifically of what fairer money distribution would mean to an entity in F1 solely as a pu maker, which is nothing as you point out, other than how every major aspect Liberty has tackled that needed tackling will likely result in a healthier and more affordable series all around, which should potentially make it more attractive for new entrants in general, be they new teams or just new pu makers.

            Sure you may be right that “oh, this time it’s different” may have been said in the past, with nothing coming to fruition ultimately, however, the fact is that F1 is indeed wholly different now and going forward, as opposed to what was just talk under BE.

            So I envision an entity such as Audi, let’s say as a pu supplier, much happier about costs to be in F1 in general for themselves and their potential customers, and much more confident that even a lesser team taking on their pu could have some exciting showings on any given race Sunday, since said lesser team will be in a more fair and balanced series that should have them closer to the top teams on average, and their drivers no longer encumbered in dirty air. All the while, if the product is better on the track and that snowballs into more audience and more sponsors, the happier an Audi will be for being in F1, for they’ll be getting satisfactory marketing impact.

    3. Really? I would of thought the opposite, now that F1 has been Netflixed and is clearly an ‘entertainment show’ reaching into audiences that wouldn’t know one end of a race car from the other its all eyeballs on the product, but to keep those eyeballs where going to have to see more drama, gimmicks and ‘entertaining’ races caused by questionable stewarding and demolition derby driving, I call it now that 2023 will have fan boost…

  19. Good news.
    The more the merrier in my view.
    Bring back tyre wars as well please.

  20. Good news, but it’ll become perfect news if their eventual public announcement says they’ll become the 11th team…

  21. I can’t see them building an engine from scratch. Even without the MGH-K it’s top notch technology. Honda had a really hard time and it wasn’t good exposure at the time.

    I can see them buying RB power trains and becoming an engine supplier or buying the whole Alpine company. But my money would be on the first.

  22. It was rumoured at the end of 2014 that Audi were eying an entry to the sport by 2018 with RBR. Though they lacked the knowledge of the hybrid tech used in F1. RBR masterplan was to get supplied in 2015 by Mercedes and then help Audi with the knowledge of Mercedes PU secrets. Lauda agreed with Marko and was in favour to supply RBR with Mercedes PU but Toto Wolff blocked the whole thing. No wonder Audi are taking a jab at Mercedes…

    1. I’m not sure what sort of ‘secrets’ Red Bull was going to reveal, as engine customers are not allowed to do anything on the engine; the manufacturer supplies engine crew for the races and owns the engines, which are really on lease. Sure, some exterior stuff, but nothing inside.

  23. ‘Having a swipe at Mercedes’-and using RB’s mouthpiece to deliver that message?

    Looking forward to some more articles on this matter that begin with ‘I just happened to bump into Marko….’

  24. Audi Red Bull would be unbeatable but only if Hamilton retires
    As long as he races it’s going to be impossible to beat him unless race director is against him like Abu Dhabi

  25. I have an opinion
    20th December 2021, 21:43

    Audi styling itself as a heel for Liberty’s show. Thank goodness Porsche is staying away in the current climate, while Honda’s exit has been impeccably timed.

  26. Would be interesting to see an american engine manufacturer.. Or even the return of Toyota!

    1. To @david-beau

      How about an entry from TATA?

      Merry Christmas,

      Michael A.

  27. As a works team, or solely an engine supplier to an existing team?

  28. I find it sad how many think it’s ok what Masi did at the end of the race, regardless of what nationality you are. Going to check out soon, I don’t seem to understand what’s happened to F1.

    1. @John-H
      Bye!
      See you next season because you wil be back

  29. will they be joining as a whole new team or just a old team rebrand? like aston martin?

  30. If Audi comes in as an engine manufacturer while Honda left that is a net zero gain in manufacturers.

    1. Not necessarily – that would only hold if they join Red Bull. If they come in as a separate engine manufacturer or a full team, it would represent a net gain of one.

      1. Exactly Emma, and from what I took from Horner on the topic of their Powertrain Unit and their future, I don’t think they are making having a partner like Audi a high priority. Their main objective imho seems to me to be wholly independent as a pu maker in time for the 2026 season, which to me puts them at starting the R&D on the next gen pu around 2024. Horner said they would certainly entertain a partnership if it made sense, but I think he was stressing that they would rather be their own in-house works team, and he even claims they will be more in-house than Mercedes are. That language sure doesn’t sound to me like Audi supplying them, and moreso that if it made sense for an Audi for example to come in, it would be them bringing some of their personnel and expertise to the RBR Powertrain Unit. That’s the only way they (RBR) could possibly be more in-house than Mercedes as Horner is claiming.

        So no if I had to bet on it today, I would say if Audi enters F1 for 2026 it will either be as their own entity, or as a pu supplier, or both. Certainly what we do know is that the $200 million entry fee gets cut drastically if the entity in question is ready, willing, and able to supply teams their pu. And is their even an entry fee at all if they are only a pu supplier? Not sure but I don’t think so.

        1. @Robbie It could be better for Red Bull to have a car brand behind them. If the pinnacle of motosport is won by a Fizzy drinks company is not what you want.

  31. Hey ho, let’s go!
    I welcome this entry because it will give a chance for some young stars.
    A lot of young lads from F2 etc. are willing to drive for food in F1 and imagine Audi will be able to make an interstellar faster than Merc’s rocket.
    That could be something!

  32. Great news!
    The fact that they showed interest due to the engine regulations hints to an engine supplier role rather than a full works team to me.
    Was the deletion of the MGU-H the main factor..?

    Anyways, entering as a works teams looks too risky and could hurt they’re brand if they end up a backmarker after all that effort. An engine supplier role could enhance they’re image for less effort

  33. Good news for Audi is they already have a legion of racing drivers in their road car owners to draw from.

    1. But do they have $200 million to enter a new team?

      1. @andyfromsandy I’m sure they do, but as I speculate above, they won’t need to pay nearly that much if they come in as a works team that is also ready, willing, and able to supply their pu to customers. And is there any fee at all if they just come in as a pu supplier? Who knows, maybe they’ll even buy Haas or something like that, and remove the $200 mill from the equation that way.

  34. 2 more cars.. YES!

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