Audi Tells FIA That It Will Confirm F1 Entry In Q1 2022

It seems like Audi and the Volkswagen group are primed to be entering F1. Audi has informed the FIA that it will confirm its plans to enter F1 as a manufacturer early next year, by the end of Q1. Audi's CEO and board chairman, Markus Duesmann, and Audi Technical Development board member Oliver Hoffmann indicated that the manufacturer is satisfied with the progress the FIA has made with the new regulations for the 2026 power units. 

The FIA, alongside the F1 engine manufacturer group, Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1 and Volkswagen Group brand Audi and Porsche executives have been hammering out a new engine formula which gets rid of the contentious MGU-H element which is very advanced and complicated for a new manufacturer to develop while it also has no use in a road car. 

Representative image of an Audi F1 car
Photo Credit: Sean Bull Design

Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault have all agreed to drop it at the behest of the Volkswagen group and Red Bull which takes over Honda's engine IP to form Red Bull powertrains, starting from next year. The manufacturers have also agreed to a more aggressive MGU-K which will deliver upwards of 350 bhp now and a 1.6 litre V6 or V4 engine that will deliver similar power as now but will be fully propelled by biofuel that doesn't pollute. 

F1 is desperate to add a new engine manufacturer after the exit of Honda, which in its last year won the driver's world championship thanks to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Duesmann indicated in a letter to outgoing FIA president Jean Todt that they have achieved adequate compromises for the newcomers and existing competitors who have worked and developed the V6 turbo hybrid engines since before 2014. 

There is also a new engine development cost cap which has been pushed for by Red Bull and the Volkswagen group. Audi and Porsche both are looking to enter the sport by 2026. Porsche has been in F1 before as an engine manufacturer but this will be Audi's first tryst with F1.