Status: 08.04.2022 3:55 p.m
The VW Group’s Formula 1 plans for its Audi and Porsche brands seem to be taking shape. What’s behind it? And what are the sticking points for a possible entry?
By Thomas Spinnler, tagesschau.de
The car companies Audi and Porsche continue to pursue the plan to enter Formula 1. The idea is not new, for years there has been speculation about its possible entry into the racing series. The current reports also indicate that a decision has not yet been made. Because both the board of directors and the supervisory board of the parent company Volkswagen as well as those of Porsche and Audi yesterday only confirmed “planning of the two group brands for a possible entry into Formula 1”.
Record world champion Lewis Hamilton and reigning champion Max Verstappen already expressed their joy at the possible entry into Formula 1: It’s great that we’re getting new manufacturers in our sport, says Hamilton: “We welcome them,” he said Mercedes driver. Red Bull driver Verstappen also finds it exciting and important for Formula 1. It’s great to have such big brands in the racing series.
In fact, both drivers are ahead of the curve. Because there is talk, at least at Audi, of entering the premier class of motorsport in 2026 at the earliest.
increase brand awareness
But what good is it for a group like Volkswagen to take part in Formula 1 with its brands? “The most important reason for entering Formula 1 is usually to increase brand awareness,” explains Christoph Stürmer, automotive partner at the management consultancy Vindelici Advisors tagesschau.de. This applies in particular to countries that are only now being developed by Formula 1, such as Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, and until the start of the Ukraine war also Russia.
Because these car companies are not as common in everyday life everywhere in the world as they are here: “Brands such as Audi or Porsche are so far removed from the everyday reality of many normal consumers there that they seem unreachable. Through their presence in Formula 1, they can increase their awareness and thus significantly increase the range of the brand,” says the expert.
“Final Evaluation Phase”
A decision for an entry has not yet been made, one is “in the final phase of the evaluation”, it is said of the three car companies. The background is that the Formula 1 regulations from 2026 are not yet known. “It envisages far-reaching changes for a more sustainable sport and is a prerequisite for a possible entry by Audi,” the statement said. Here Audi is in exchange with the world automobile association Fia.
Basically, striker thinks that Porsche is relatively likely to get involved. “Porsche’s image thrives on racing, so it’s logical to invest in this racing series. It would also make strategic sense to get involved in order to maintain the reputation of the combustion engine,” says the expert.
Formula 1 soon sustainable?
At Audi, on the other hand, he is more skeptical, because the strategic focus is on the electrification of the drives. Seen in terms of drive technology, according to the striker, an entry might seem less appropriate. But at least it looks as if Formula 1, which of course wants to give itself a more contemporary image, will suit Audi.
The current plans envisage that from 2026 the hybrid engines will be operated with 100 percent sustainable fuel. The combustion engine in the unit should only contribute 50 percent of the power, the rest is electric. That would in turn accommodate Audi. That’s how Audi boss Markus Duesmann sees it: “If Formula 1 becomes more sustainable, it could become interesting for Audi,” Duesmann is quoted as saying. Because that in turn would be beneficial to the Audi brand image.
“Even more predictable, even stiffer”
Whether the increased presence of large car companies is also beneficial to the image of Formula 1 is another question. Only on the surface is Formula 1 the world of the rich and beautiful, Stürmer points out. “On the other hand, brilliant engineers and absolute specialists are still working on the cars in a kind of closed society in discreetly hidden workshops in the British Midlands and are developing ideas to make them faster,” enthuses the industry specialist. Even Mercedes builds its Formula 1 car there and not in Germany.
If more and more large corporations take part in the series, because only they can raise the large financial resources to be successful, it may continue to lose its character and peculiarity, warns Stürmer: “If the engineers fall under the control of the corporate managers, the formula could 1 will become even stiffer, more predictable and more political, and thus lose tension.”