Audi F1 on its way

[Speedywurzel]

https://twitter.com/audisport/status/1563043629794...
Looks like it’s happening at last.

[ajprice]

Press announcement https://twitter.com/F1/status/1563062787311603712?...

[FourWheelDrift]

2026 power unit supplier, for Red Bull?

[Muzzer79]

FourWheelDrift said:

2026 power unit supplier, for Red Bull?

Red Bull are joining up with Porsche?

[Sandpit Steve]

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

[FourWheelDrift]

Muzzer79 said:

FourWheelDrift said:

2026 power unit supplier, for Red Bull?

Red Bull are joining up with Porsche?

I was just thinking a VW corporate change of name for the project from Porsche to Audi.

[anonymous-user]

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

That sounds like a recipe for success, it certainly worked out well for BMW when they bought Sauber.

Oh, hold on......

[PhilAsia]

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

I trust they will disable the VAG 'limp mode' when blending gas and brake...

[Carlososos]

PhilAsia said:

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

I trust they will disable the VAG 'limp mode' when blending gas and brake...

Special defeat device like qualifying mode similar to emmsions defeat mode?

[stemll]

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

They had different engines when they were both in LMP at the same time so they have form for it but the LMP rules were much more open. Porsche V4 petrol and Audi V6 diesel.

But given that these will both be to the same spec, is this really just a way of getting 2x the engine cap, 2x the new manufacturer allowance?

[Sandpit Steve]

stemll said:

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

They had different engines when they were both in LMP at the same time so they have form for it but the LMP rules were much more open. Porsche V4 petrol and Audi V6 diesel.

But given that these will both be to the same spec, is this really just a way of getting 2x the engine cap, 2x the new manufacturer allowance?

There has to be some method in their madness, making two separate engines in a very tight regulatory environment.

The official reason is packaging, which I read as not wanting Newey to insist on something difficult that might constrain Audi.

Perhaps the real reason is to do with development, and there’s something in the regs that allows them to work together, with two budgets, during the time between now and them actually entering a race. Perhaps there will be a lot of movement between the teams with no gardening leave, so they can effectively share information and best practice. Didn’t Red Bull and Toro Rosso get busted for something similar, back when Seb was in the junior team?

[MiniMan64]

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

That seems a bizarre way to do it…

[StevieBee]

Sandpit Steve said:

stemll said:

Sandpit Steve said:

It sounds like Audi are taking over Sauber, and Porsche are separately working with Red Bull - VAG are making two different F1 engines!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/audi-separate-e...

They had different engines when they were both in LMP at the same time so they have form for it but the LMP rules were much more open. Porsche V4 petrol and Audi V6 diesel.

But given that these will both be to the same spec, is this really just a way of getting 2x the engine cap, 2x the new manufacturer allowance?

There has to be some method in their madness, making two separate engines in a very tight regulatory environment.

The official reason is packaging, which I read as not wanting Newey to insist on something difficult that might constrain Audi

I wonder if there's a marketing angle at play as well.

They're both from the same stable but at the upper levels of their range, compete for the same market as well as seek to maintain a loyal customer base - particularly Porsche whose owners I would suspect would prefer to see a Porsche engined F1 car and not an Audi engined badged as Porsche.

[Sandpit Steve]

StevieBee said:

I wonder if there's a marketing angle at play as well.

They're both from the same stable but at the upper levels of their range, compete for the same market as well as seek to maintain a loyal customer base - particularly Porsche whose owners I would suspect would prefer to see a Porsche engined F1 car and not an Audi engined badged as Porsche.

Yes perhaps there’s a marketing angle to it, although VAG are pretty good at sharing road car platforms while differentiating their various brands.

IIRC, a Porsche Cayenne and an Audi Q7 (and a Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, VW Tuareg) are the same car underneath.

[ch37]

Sauber and Alfa Romeo have confirmed their partnership will come to an end at the end of 2023 too. Makes sense given what we assume will happen, but what happens for the 2024 and 2025 seasons?

[carl_w]

VAG's explanation here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/audi-explains-wh...

[Teppic]

With all the "will they, won't they" that has happened regarding VAG entering F1 for the last few decades, I'll only believe that they are in F1 when I see with my own eyes their cars rolling out of the garages in the first practice session of 2026!

[Tom8]

Not a good move for Audi as they will only ever come second due to the need to drive up someone's arse all the way round...

[FourWheelDrift]

Tom8 said:

Not a good move for Audi as they will only ever come second due to the need to drive up someone's arse all the way round...

And park in the wrong pit box.

[Tom8]

FourWheelDrift said:

And park in the wrong pit box.