Audi to join F1 in 2016

[carinaman]

ajprice said:

Photoshop livery make up

Shouldn't it also be tarnishing the Quattro brand? Should it run with Quattro with a capital Q or lower case one?

F1 isn't the pinnacle of motor sport. Why would VAG want the brand anywhere near it?

It's the Bill Hicks marketing sketch. What is 'suck a tail pipe' in German?

[Scuffers]

carinaman said:

F1 isn't the pinnacle of motor sport. Why would VAG want the brand anywhere near it?

Exactly

F1 is now just an over expensive junket, the racing's a side issue.

[Some Gump]

I can't see anything Audi have to gain by entering F1, Porsche or no Porsche.

So, they have epic victorious history rallying, DTM, BTCC, ETC, WTCC< Le Mans - why risk anything for F1? They're not a sports brand at heart, and LM shows off Ultra / Hybrid perfectly. Rallying is perfect for Quattro.

Even if they win F1, will it really sell that many more S line 2.0 TDi's?

[DuckAvenger]

Please ...try to learn some history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union

[Ahonen]

DuckAvenger said:

Please ...try to learn some history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union

Ah, you mean the cars that competed in the European Championship in the late 1930s? That wasn't the F1 World Championship, which did not begin until after WWII.

[IforB]

What are the chances that this is just a Bernie sourced "Throw something potentially positive out there whilst the real story of 18 cars on the grid and potentially others going to the wall and creating a disaster" distraction story?

[rdjohn]

T

IforB said:

What are the chances that this is just a Bernie sourced "Throw something potentially positive out there whilst the real story of 18 cars on the grid and potentially others going to the wall and creating a disaster" distraction story?

Better than 50:50.

Presumably you have seen the Las Vegas wants GP, now that Austin has worked out the sums do not balance.

[Redlake27]

IforB said:

What are the chances that this is just a Bernie sourced "Throw something potentially positive out there whilst the real story of 18 cars on the grid and potentially others going to the wall and creating a disaster" distraction story?

Exactly. It was smart work from an F1 Insider to stir up this story in a mass market motoring magazine. This means tens of thousands of readers are talking about the entry of a global brand into F1, which offsets the minority of us fans that know what a Caterham or Marussia is.

Volkswagen group,or any other manufacturer,won't be entering an F1 team until there's some kind of shareholder franchise scheme set up that gives them an equal voice and a safe return on investment.

This Audi story is distraction PR from a business that's having a tough few weeks.

[Some Gump]

DuckAvenger said:

Please ...try to learn some history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union

Condescending knob. I know the origins of Audi, but your logic says that Porsche should enter the tractor pulling championship, because it's core to the brand - clearly it's not.

[ellroy]

How many statements from Audi over the years saying F1 adds nothing to the tech of current road cars unlike the WEC?

And it strikes me that many of the major manufacturers are starting to agree, LMP1 next year is looking like a corker. Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Nissan and I'll include Lotus, because I like a giggle. Also, the ongoing speculation around Ford making a full return.

Audi to F1? Its not happening and it smells like 100% BE bullst to distract from the perilous state of the back of the F1 grid.

Edited by ellroy on Monday 27th October 16:25

[RobGT81]

Leena Gade was hardly complementary about F1 not so long back, after Lotterers outing.

[airbusA346]

RobGT81 said:

Leena Gade was hardly complementary about F1 not so long back, after Lotterers outing.

What did she say?

[LotusOmega375D]

I think you'll find I posted up rumours of this back on 01.04.13.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=126...

OK so I got some of the finer details confused, but the general gist was spot-on!

[AlexS]

carinaman said:

Shouldn't it also be tarnishing the Quattro brand? Should it run with Quattro with a capital Q or lower case one?

F1 isn't the pinnacle of motor sport. Why would VAG want the brand anywhere near it?

It's the Bill Hicks marketing sketch. What is 'suck a tail pipe' in German?

So what do you consider the pinnacle?

[thatdude]

Will they take the desmodromic valve system from Ducati?

[Scuffers]

thatdude said:

Will they take the desmodromic valve system from Ducati?

read the engine regs.

[Mark-C]

Scuffers said:

thatdude said:

Will they take the desmodromic valve system from Ducati?

read the engine regs.

And there is the big problem with F1 in terms of it being the pinnacle ... there is absolutely no room for innovation anymore.

Unless you can get excited about clever positioning of a fourth winglet

[Scuffers]

And that's my biggest beef with F1 now... no opportunity for the 21st century Colin Chapman or the like to come up with something innovative.

But, mandates stupidly expensive powertrains that nobody can afford.

Reading Joe's blog, the sense of irony is strong!

[airbusA346]

AlexS said:

So what do you consider the pinnacle?

Le Mans/WEC/Endurance

[Crafty_]

thatdude said:

Will they take the desmodromic valve system from Ducati?

As scuffers says, no because of regs.
But also, no because they aren't entering F1.