After months, and even years, of rumours, Herbert Diess, president of the Volkswagen Group, has finished confirming what seemed like an open secret: Porsche and Audi will enter Formula 1. The premium and luxury firms of the automobile conglomerate will have their hole in the grid, but what do they gain?
intentions. For now, what Herbert Diess has confirmed is that Porsche and Audi are going ahead with their plans to be part of the Formula 1 grid in 2026. The announcement has come at a public event in Wolfsburg, Germany, and should be finalized. when the 2026 regulation is confirmed, the year in which the engines will change substantially.
2026. Although there are no official details yet, it is known that the intention for the coming years is to compete with more efficient and cheaper engines from 2026. The intention is to keep the 1.6-liter V6 blocks but the electric power will be increased to 350 kW (470 hp) and costs will be reduced.
In addition to putting a new economic ceiling to dedicate to engines, the MGU-H will be eliminated, a system that uses the gases emitted by cars into electrical energy. It has been considered that the MGU-H is too complex and that it does not make sense to install it in street vehicles, which is why it represents an extra cost that cannot be profitable in the future. They also want to bet on synthetic fuels to reduce the carbon footprint.
the key moment. During the event, Diess has also confirmed that this new regulation is key to entering Formula 1. According to Diess “you need five or ten years to be among the first. In other words, you can only get on board if there is a change in regulation important”.
2026 is therefore now or never for Porsche and Audi. “That has happened now and it will happen again in 2026, when the engines will be electrified to a greater extent, even with synthetic fuels. That means you need to develop a new engine and you need three or four years to do it.”
What is there to win? Despite Diess’s announcement, the same CEO of the Volkswagen Group confirmed that part of the board of directors was not in favor of entering Formula 1 and stressed that they should continue to make efforts in software development and in the autonomous driving of the future.
“But our premium brands say that this is the most important lever to increase their value and to be able to get a little more out of the cars in terms of prices. And also to show the competition that you have superior technology, in the case of Audi.” said Diess. In other words, Formula 1 continues to provide manufacturers with benefits that are not reported by endurance competitions or Formula E, where Porsche and Audi have been working (or have worked) for years to a greater or lesser extent.
Alpine and Mercedes. Using Formula 1 as an advertising claim is something that Jesús Presa, Director of Communication, Public Affairs and Social Impact of Grupo Renault, confirmed to us during the pre-season tests this year. After Alpine’s victory last year in Hungary, the brand’s sales soared by 70%. In addition, although he could not give specific data, he confirmed that a large part of Renault’s commercial success during the first decade of the 2000s was closely related to Fernando Alonso’s two world titles, data that was reflected to a greater extent in China. .
Mercedes has achieved the same after dominating the World Cup with an iron fist until the title of Max Verstappen last year. In 2016, the brand already announced that the previous year it had sold almost 20% more cars, with record sales in China. In 2018 the trend was confirmed, surpassing previous years in sales. In addition, they have managed to rejuvenate their target audience, another of the great goals that had been set.
contradictions. Those who participate in a Formula 1 race have to face, however, one of the most contradictory sports of the moment. Whichever way you look at it, going around a circuit for more than an hour and a half is not environmentally sustainable. Less if we take into account that for this it is necessary to move a whole contingent of engineers, mechanics and auxiliary personnel from one city to another.
Although Formula 1 wants to modernize, betting on more sustainable materials and developments, making it sustainable would be a titanic effort that, moreover, would go against the competition itself. Despite everything, it is still worth investing in it.
United States and China. One of the reasons that Diess pointed out as definitive when developing engines for Formula 1 is the high impact that the competition is having in China and the United States, two markets where the Volkswagen Group can increase its presence. Netflix and the arrival of great prizes like the one in Miami seem to have exploded interest in the competition.
Long-term. Furthermore, developing new power units for Formula 1 is also a long-term investment. During the tests, Fernando Alonso emphasized one of the usual arguments to defend Formula 1. “The ABS, the gearshift paddles, the tire pressure sensors, all those things that we now see as normal already had it Formula 1 in the 90s, in the 2000s,” explained the Spaniard.
The interest could be very similar for Porsche and Audi. Given the future environmental restrictions of the European Union through new regulations and homologations, both Porsche and Audi have been in favor of the development of synthetic fuels, one of the objectives of Formula 1 itself. Without losing sight of the benefits that can take out (and that Porsche is already taking out) in the development of electric motors.
Value added. Despite being in a difficult situation, Formula 1 also brings added value to street vehicles. Competition is one of the pillars on which Ferrari’s image has been based and it is an example that the Volkswagen Group wants to follow. “Porsche has to be the sportiest car brand in the world, so it has to do motorsport. And you come to the conclusion: if Porsche does motorsport, the most efficient thing to do is to do Formula 1,” Diess stressed.
Audi also has a lot to gain in the opinion of the head of the Volkswagen Group. Formula 1 is “the most important tool to increase its value” and obtain greater performance from its vehicles in terms of prices. “Also to show the competition that you have superior technology”, as Diess said and we collected previously. Winning on the track is also making it clear to the world that you are above the competition.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism