Audi's Formula One Participation Inches Closer To Reality

Aug. 02, 2021 10:39 AM ET by Karl Furlong Motorsport / 6 Comments

We'd love to see this happen!

To celebrate its return to Formula One, Aston Martin revealed its new AMR21 F1 car and its new logo earlier in 2021. Shortly after this, rumors began to swirl that both Porsche and Audi could join the starting grid in 2025. To see all these premium automakers competing for the ultimate prize in motorsport would be wonderful, and it seems that Audi's participation is gathering steam.

According to RacingNews365, the attendance of Audi and Porsche CEOs in Austria for discussions on the future of F1 power unit regulations, along with FIA Safety Director Adam Baker joining the Volkswagen Group to determine its motorsport feasibility, bodes well for Audi.

2020-2022 Audi R8 Coupe Front Angle View

Baker is said to have been appointed by VW to assess whether a potential F1 entry would be viable. His career in motorsport spans two decades and includes an extended period with BMW. Baker is understood to be evaluating Audi's return to F1 specifically, initially as an engine supplier. At the same time as the Baker news, Allan McNish marked his return to F1 in Hungary. McNish is a former Audi factory sportscar racer and Le Mans winner. Currently, he is the Team Principal of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E team.

With McNish's close ties with Audi and Baker allegedly working with VW to determine its motorsport future, it certainly looks as though we could be close to an official announcement from Audi on its F1 return in the not too distant future. Elsewhere, Audi is set to return to Le Mans again in January 2023 following the domination of its R18 at the event in the 2010s.

A bolstered motorsport presence over the next few years could ironically occur at the same time as powerful combustion Audi models like the RS6 Avant and R8 enjoy their victory laps. With full electrification of its lineup imminent, the F1 circuit may soon be the last place to hear the guttural war cry of a fast Audi.