Audi and Porsche are preparing to jump into Formula 1

German car manufacturer Audia subsidiary of the Volkswagen giant, is preparing to provide the jump to formula 1 as partner and engine supplier of the McLaren team from 2026, while porscheanother German manufacturer linked to the same car group, is approaching another of the top teams in the category, Red Bull, according to various media.

Audi already has a significant presence in the world of sports, as a minority shareholder in Bayern Munich. Audi shares 25 per cent equally with insurers Allianz and Adidas, while the remaining 75 per cent belongs to the club and its partners.

Now Audi looks ready to jump into Formula 1according to information from Automobilwoche magazine, which would not directly state Volkswagen’s presence in the world’s most followed motorsport series.

According to German sports channel Sport 1, the negotiations are already quite concrete. Audi will pay McLaren a capital of 650 million euros. He will get a majority in McLaren and a third of the Formula 1 team, according to Manager Magazin.

McLaren is currently with Mercedes, another giant in the sector in Germany, where it has a contract until 2025.

In case an agreement is not reached with McLaren, there is speculation that Audi may enter into deals with Williamsanother historic Formula 1 team no longer in the hands of the Williams family after it was sold to American investment firm Dorilton Capital.

In addition to Audi, porscheanother German manufacturer linked to Volkswagen, may be preparing to enter Formula 1 and rumors are spreading in the motor world about possible negotiations with Red Bull.

Formula 1, in any case, and its business manager Stefano Domenicali want to give the series more diversity by winning over new engine manufacturers for it and keep an eye on Audi and Porsche, whose representatives would have participated in several meetings.

An important point to win over the two manufacturers could be the elimination, in 2026, of the so-called MGU-H unit (Motor Generator Heat Unit), a technology that recovers energy through gases produced by the machine and that it was very expensive, but it had no relevance for the series made of cars, so its development was not of special interest to Volkswagen.

Instead, the interest of the world’s second largest automaker, as well as the use of kinetic energy, has increased.

Since a spending ceiling was imposed on Formula 1, maintaining a team has ceased to be a bottomless pit and Domenicali’s plans target teams that make profits.