BWM was a big player in F1 in the 2000s and the 80s. In 2001, its devastating engine provided Rauf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya and the Williams team the artillery to take on the seemingly invincible combination of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. They were competitive between 2001 and 2003, and then eventually have the relationship sourced between BMW and Williams as the latter wanted to acquire the other to become a constructor and joined hands with Sauber. With all the talk around Audi and Porsche entering F1, this must be causing some fear of missing out for the Bavarian giant.
BMW left F1 in the late 2000s after the economic crisis, but now there is chatter that it could return considering Audi and Porsche fellow German giants are making their way and Honda is also reconsidering its position with the new engine formula set to be announced later this year. According to Joe Saward, BMW could be looking at a partnership with McLaren's racing car division which doesn’t have the resources to design and manufacture an F1 engine of its own.
In fact, the engine has been at the heart of McLaren’s competitive woes since the late 2000s. McLaren for the longest time had Mercedes engines but moved away from them after Mercedes acquired Brawn GP to form its own works team. Then it went to Honda which turned out to be disastrous. For two years it had Renault engines and in 2021 it moved back to Mercedes as a customer team.
The top three teams in F1 are works teams — Ferrari designs its own power unit and supplies to a couple of teams, similarly, Red Bull licenses Honda’s IP for its two teams and Mercedes for the last eight years largely save for 2022 has had the most reliable and powerful engine on the grid.
"In order compete head-on with rivals Mercedes, Porsche and Audi," the Saward reports. "In order compete head-on with rivals Mercedes, Porsche and Audi," the journalist writes.
McLaren of course in the early 90s still used Honda power which allowed Ayrton Senna to win three world titles. But its chief designer Gordon Murray wanted to work on a commercial vehicle and at the time the McLaren F1 project was born. Honda at the time couldn’t supply an engine to Murray’s specifications but BMW came to the recuse with a masterful V12 naturally aspirated power unit which to date is considered to be one of the greatest of all time.
The McLaren F1 is one of the greatest supercars of all time and one of the rarest ones around. McLaren’s partnership in the 90s proved fruitful with BMW but Saward reckons that it wouldn’t be a bad idea for McLaren to join hands with the Bavarian giant.
McLaren recently rejected an offer by Audi for acquisition as it wants to retain its independence. This could mean a count effective way for the Bavarian carmaker to return to F1 as a works partner as the popularity of F1 explodes it could be a great marketing opportunity.
That being said, it has been a well-known fact if an engine manufacturer doesn’t have numerous customers there are issues with reliability, competitiveness and profitability. Something Renault struggles with right now, but with the new engine formula which removes the MGU-H and adds more electric elements with sustainable fuel, BMW could make a play for it.
