Audi & Porsche Present At F1 Meeting For 2025 Engines

Formula 1 currently is having discussions with all the stakeholders and teams about what the next engine formula should be for the sport. Post the 2021 season, there will be an engine development freeze till the end of 2024, with a new type of engine to be introduced in 2025. There is a meeting scheduled for July 3, which will feature FIA supremo Jean Todt, F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, F1 technical director, Ross Brawn. 

Alongside the former Ferrari trio, the team will feature basically the owners of the various teams like Dietrich Mateschitz of Red Bull, Luca De Meo, the CEO of Renault, Ola Kallenius of CEO and chairman of Daimler, the chairman and interim CEO John Elkann of Ferrari. Interestingly, this meeting also features Oliver Blume and Markus Duesmann, the CEOs of Porsche and Audi. 

The Audi CEO Markus Duesmann is also the boss of Olive Blume as Audi owns Porsche

For a while, F1 has pursued Volkswagen group brands like Audi, but diesel gate threw a spanner in those plans. The exit of Honda from F1 at the end of the 2021 season creates another void, even though Red Bull has acquired its IP and has now set up a full engine division which could also supply to third parties. 

The biggest criticism of the current engine regulations has been the complexity of the power unit which makes it very expensive and complex for a new manufacturer to enter. It also doesn't properly sit well with most automakers electrifying as some of the technology doesn't translate to road cars. 

F1 is pursuing a plan for a simpler V6 engine instead of the 1.6-litre hybrid running on bio-fuels and combined with a larger battery that offers more energy recovery. F1 also wants more standardised parts to keep costs down. One thing is for sure - the new management at F1 is zero focussed on keeping costs low.

For both Audi and Porsche, the biofuel and electrical element will be critical as both have been pushing these technologies in the consumer segment and in their motorsports endeavours. Even Ferrari will probably have a greater say in favour of a combination of biofuels and electrical components as it plans on having its first EV by 2025. Ferrari F1 boss Mattia Binotto has also indicated that biofuels are the way forward for motorsports like F1.