Last Updated on October 31 2024, 1:37 pm

When the FIA launched its consultation process to explore how Formula One could become more attractive to auto manufacturers back in 2017, the resulting mess could never haver been anticipated. Porsche were a high profile target for the FIA and an F1 return for the German manufacturer seemed almost to be set in stone.

Porsche were pushing for the new regulations to include a four wheel drive system similar to the one on their Le Mans cars and the FIA had laid out the principles to drive the process. Engine design was to be simplified from the uber complex hybrids introduced in 2014, costs must be reduced to customer teams and new entries promoted with vigour.

The new power units were intended to debut in 2021however Covid-19 saw them pushed back a year. Then it was decided to freeze the current engine regulations in 2022 and introduce the all new power units for the 2026 season.

 

 

 

VAG announce Porsche & Audi F1 entries

On 2 May 2022, Volkswagen’s CEO Herbert Weiss announced that Porsche would make their return to the sport alongside another VW brand, Audi. This was to be Audi’s first entry into the sport, while Porsche would be returning thirty years after its last foray as a badged F1 engine supplier.

At the time Formula One fever was high and with new races coming in Miami and Las Vegas, America was set to be taken by storm. Yet Porsche were far too German for their proposed partner in Red Bull Racing, who rejected an offer for Porsche to buy 50% of the F1 racing team.

Christian Horner explained the reason for the collapse in the talks and included this significant detail. “One of our core strengths has been our independence and our quick decision-making and lack of bureaucracy,” clearly Porsche had created the impression they wanted complex and corporate decision making processes, something Horner et al were not prepared to allow.

Meanwhile Audi pressed on with their F1 entry entering an agreement to a stage by stage buy out the current owners of the Sauber F1 team. Audi would then build the new F1 power unit at its base in Neuberg in their state of the art high performance facility.

Verstappen: “I know what the options are”

 

 

 

Audi gather together F1 rejects

With almost four years until the first Audi F1 car would appear on the grid, it appeared Audi were getting on with their F1 programme with plenty of time in hand. The stage buyout of the Sauber shareholders came to an abrupt stop in January this year when the Swiss based F1 team ran out of money.

Audi stepped up their share buy back schedule acquiring the entire Kick Sauber team’s stake although its F1 entry would continue to be entered as a derivative of the Sauber name until 2026. Then came the high profile sacking of Andreas Seidl, the CEO of the Audi F1 project and his replacement announced was Mattia Binotto.

The ex-Ferrari boss has since been busy in terms of recruitment, poaching Red Bull’s Sporting Director, Jonathan Wheatley, to be the Audi F1 team principal. This week Audi announced they have acquired the services of another ex-Ferrari man in the form of Inaki Rueda, the Scuderia’s head of strategy until recently.

“In his new position, Rueda will be responsible for overseeing all sporting activities, managing the relationship with the FIA and all regulations matters trackside,” which sounds a lot like the role Wheatley was delivering for Red Bull.

Colapinto set to join Red Bull

 

 

 

Audi-Sauber to be sold

Audi issue corporate style updates a couple of times a year about the progress of the F1 programme, which usually contain the messaging ‘everything is going to plan’ and little more. There is a feeling amongst paddock folk that the Audi F1 project is viewed with regret back in Stuttgart and that with just over a year before their 2026 F1 car will be unveiled, Audi remain all at sea.

When Liberty Media rejected the FIA approved Andretti F1 application, the reaction of a number of F1 pundits was that talks should commence between Audi and Andretti. Yet the corporate types back in Germany insisted they were on track with their F1 programme and would be competitive at chelatest by 2027.

Yet with each announcement Audi make about their Formula One adventure, the impression left is one of an organisation which is half hearted about its future in the sport.

A solution may now be on hand as veteran F1 writer, Joe Saward reveals in his column. “I am expecting some kind of takeover of Sauber by a Qatari entity and I would guess that the best time to announce that would be in Doha in a few weeks from now.”

Ridiculous rookie battle breaks out in F1

 

 

 

Qatar fascination with Formula One

Qatar have a significant shareholding in the VAG group and Saward makes the bold claim, “the German firm is not now so keen on F1, the Qataris are loving it.” Given that Renault who have been a stalwart of Formula One for decades and winning thirteen championships as a power unit only supplier have decided this F1 engine building is far to difficult and expensive, theres almost zero chance Audi will continue as a power unit supplier should the Sauber team be sold.

The Qatari’s attempted unsuccessfully to buy Formula One from its previous owners CVC partners in 2015 and now have one of the prestigious triple header ‘run in’ F1 weekends to celebrate just seven days before the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Formula One now has one sixth of its 24 race weekends in the Middle East, which all began back in twenty years ago with the debut of Bahrain back in 2004. Last year Qatar’s rivals Saudi Arabia were rumoured to have made a bid $20bn to buy Formula One from Liberty Media, although the report in Bloomberg was denied by FOM.

BREAKING: FIA find two competitors in breach of financial regs

 

 

 

FIA back to where it started

Audi as a company are facing challenging times with the flood of cheap Chinese cars arriving in its European heartland. Add to this that consumers are proving hybrid is not the power unit of choice, raising questions on the value the F1 technology transfer the German company thought it would benefit from when announcing its F1 entries.

The irony of this entire saga is that almost ten years on from the FIA’s decision to expand the number of Formula One competitors, Renault is quitting and Audi will now most likely sell the Sauber operation it acquired. And so the big FIA push to expand Formula One’s OEMs leaves the only new F1 competitor as Red Bull Powertrains with their partnership with Ford.

Ever more complex power units are the problem facing Formula One and as Red Bull suggested at the time, the 1.6l V6 hybrids should have been ditched in favour of an eco solution for the internal combustion engine, which could be used to clean up the 2 billion vehicles currently in existence around the planet.

Horner identifies new ‘trick’ possible with FIA driving guidelines

 

 

 

Lawson receives dire warning from Red Bull boss

Liam Lawson enjoyed the dream start to his Formula One career when he substituted for the injured Daniel Ricciardo for five Grand Prix weekends last in the autumn of 2023. The New Zealander finished ahead of his team mate Yuki Tsunoda in four of their five outings together and was even the topic of paddock whispers to replace Daniel Ricciardo at the start of this year.

It appeared that Christian Horner got his way and Ricciardo was retained in the V-CARB pairing for 2024 even though Dr. Marko insisted he wanted to see Lawson get a full time drive for part of this year. Yet the widely hoped for the comeback of the Aussie into something like his previous form failed to materialise and Lawson was given six races to prove his worth.

Liam returned to F1 with a bang, electing against hiss team’s advice to run a one stop race at the USGP. As it turned out the event which is usually a two stop strategy became a one stopper for many of the field given the new asphalt had reduced sliding and tyre wear… READ MORE