German automobile manufacturer audia subsidiary of giant Volkswagen, jump formula 1 as partner of the team and supplier of engines McLaren from 2026 porscheAccording to various media, another German manufacturer affiliated with the same car group is approaching another of the category’s leading teams, Red Bull.
Audi already has a significant presence in the world of sports as a minority shareholder in Bayern Munich. Audi receives an equal share of 25 percent with insurers Allianz and Adidas, while the remaining 75 percent belongs to the club and its partners.
Audi now seems eager to make the leap into Formula 1, according to information from Automobilwoche magazine. Volkswagen’s presence in the world’s most followed motorsport series.
According to the German sports channel Sport 1, the negotiations are already quite concrete. Audi would pay McLaren a capital of 650 million euros. McLaren would take the majority and a third of the Formula 1 team, according to Manager Magazine.
McLaren is currently a partner in Germany, with another giant in the industry, Mercedes, which has a contract until 2025.
There is speculation that Audi could reach a deal with Williams, a historic Formula 1 team that remained after the Williams family was sold to an American investment firm, if McLaren fails to reach a deal. .Dorilton Capital.
Porsche interest
In addition to Audi, porscheAnother German manufacturer linked to Volkswagen, Could be preparing to enter Formula 1 and rumors are circulating in the motor world about possible negotiations with Red Bull.
In any case, Formula 1 and business manager Stefano Domenicali wants to give more diversity to the winning lineup for new engine manufacturers He has his eye on Audi and Porsche, whose representatives may have attended several meetings.
A key point to win over the two manufacturers may be the elimination of the crucial MGU-H unit (Engine Generator Unit Heat) by 2026, which recovers energy through the gases produced by the engine. it is expensive, but has nothing to do with mass-produced cars, so its development does not particularly interest Volkswagen.
Instead, the interest and use of kinetic energy by the world’s second largest automaker has increased.
Maintenance of a team has ceased to be a bottomless pit as a spending cap was introduced in Formula 1, and Domenicali’s plans suggest teams can turn a profit.