It's an exciting time in Formula One. The Schumacher name has returned to the grid, Aston Martin has a works team competing once more, and Porsche is reported to be considering a return to the sport too. Now, reports are surfacing that we could see both Porsche and Audi join the starting grid in 2025. As with our previous report, it seems that the biggest issue for both marques is the regulations for that year. And yes, we've heard these rumors numerous times over the past few decades, but this time, there are palpable signs of the brands' interest in the sport.

According to CAR in the UK, Stuttgart's premier sportscar manufacturer "is part of the FIA's engine working group, so they are involved in all of the conversations about the 2025 regs. Word on the street is that they're real contributors too - they turn up to meetings full of ideas. It's likely that the amount of electric power will be doubled for 2025, which Porsche are keen on (sic)."

It's interesting that Porsche or Audi (or even both brands) could return to F1 at a time that parent company Volkswagen has quit motorsport, but with both German marques engaged in preliminary talks with the FIA, things look good, and Porsche's research into synthetic fuels is promising especially for the sport. Still, as good as cars like the 911 GT3 are, both brands will have a mountain to climb to get up to speed in F1.

The report continues that Porsche was invited to take part in its first FIA meeting in years this past February. Then in March, a Volkswagen supervisory board delegate agreed to participate in the follow-up meeting which included many big names currently in F1. Next month, it's expected that Audi and Porsche will join as equal partners to discuss the conditions under which they would join the sport. By the end of May, assuming that the April meeting goes well, the two brands are to submit business plans to their respective boards of directors and the Volkswagen's Group's bigwigs in Wolfsburg. If all that goes well, we could hear confirmation of either or both brands joining F1 in late spring or early summer. Here's hoping that it all works out.