Audi LMP1 Discussion

[Simmi]

I'm not going to completely dismiss this. Just because someone does something for a long time does not mean it will continue that way forever. All things must come to an end.

Audi have nothing left to prove at Le Mans. They're in a great position financially so who knows. Ditching both series would be a surprise but again, who knows. I hope it's just another rumour and they stick around for many years.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I'm not going to completely dismiss this. Just because someone does something for a long time does not mean it will continue that way forever. All things must come to an end.

Audi have nothing left to prove at Le Mans. They're in a great position financially so who knows. Ditching both series would be a surprise but who knows. I hope it's just another rumour and they stick around for many years.

I agree anything is possible, but I don't like the "nothing left to prove argument". Did Porsche have anything left to prove? They came back to Protos.


Also, there is a lot left to prove when you are now going against factory efforts from Porsche, Toyota, and Nissan. Sure they have done well at Le Mans, but Audi has struggled at all the other races. A WEC championship vs all those factories would be quite satisfying.

[J Jay]

I can only see this happening if Audi are cocksure about their potential F1 power plant - because ditching a relatively sure thing (albeit less sure with the growing manufacturer interest) and their premier domestic competition would be a big gamble.

If this is more than a rumour, I think a significant factor will be how well Honda do next season.

Originally Posted by joeb

Also, there is a lot left to prove when you are now going against factory efforts from Porsche, Toyota, and Nissan. Sure they have done well at Le Mans, but Audi has struggled at all the other races. A WEC championship vs all those factories would be quite satisfying.

Maybe they want to jump before they are pushed? Audi prototypes have rarely had sheer speed over their rivals and if the decision comes down to being slow in WEC versus being slow in F1, the latter will receive far more [negative] media coverage.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by joeb

I agree anything is possible, but I don't like the "nothing left to prove argument". Did Porsche have anything left to prove? They came back to Protos.

I'd argue Porsche did have more to prove given their previous wins came in completely different eras of racing. You can only PR your past for so long.

If they want to prove their hybrid technology and sell cars in 2014 here is their chance. This is the new age - and the goalposts have largely been moved by Audi.

Honestly though it's all subjective and these decisions are often made on the whims of a few empowered people.

[DistortedSmile]

Rumors of Audi going to F1 go back a long time and nothing's ever materialized, I don't see them leaving so soon after they finally got their wish of a sportscar WC and all the manufacturer interest it's been receiving and I definitively don't see them ditching both WEC and DTM.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by J Jay

If this is more than a rumour, I think a significant factor will be how well Honda do next season.

If this is more than a rumor and year is correct, then an announcement should be coming in next weeks and Honda performance will be too late for that decision.

Couple of things are odd in that story, the timing seems a bit soon versus Honda who already announced their turn in May 2013. Engines can be test benched in secrecy but for sure making things official can ramp up the pace.

And similarly the timing would cut one year off the 3-year lifetime of the current P1 car and compromise 2015 season too.

I could see them leaving P1, but not DTM. In that story it is said that by combining both of those budgets you get F1 budget... a backmarker F1 budget. Leaving DTM wouldn't make sense because of budget reasons.

[CTD]

Shouldn't we place/continue the Audi to F1 rumour over in the Rumour thread, as it really doesn't have anything to do with the R18?

[chernaudi]

Rumor is that Audi would partner with an existing team as an engine supplier and sponsor (think Red Bull with Renault and Infiniti), but not a full F1 team. Someone else would build the chassis.

I can't see Audi leaving either LMP1 or DTM anytime soon, but it seems that someone at Volkswagen Group wants a VAG-backed F1 program of some type. That being said, Dr. Ullrich has been against most of what he believes to be spec or non-relevant racing. Though he's slated to be likely to retire from his post within the next few years, I'd have to say that his likeliest successors would be guys like Dieter Gass or Chris Reinke, who are from the trenches at Audi and are both definite LMP-type guys (though Gass for the past couple of years has been head of the DTM program primarily).

Also, just because Audi Sport hired Dominicali after he quit his job at Ferrari as team boss earlier this year doesn't mean that there's fire or even smoke there. People from Audi Sport say that though Dominicali is an Audi Sport employee starting Nov. 1st, his role won't have anything to do directly with any race programs.

I can't see Audi or any other VAG marque in F1 aside from maybe Lamborghini, certainly as long as the majority of board members at both Audi and VAG aren't dead set on F1, and it seems that it's only seemingly a vocal minority (albeit seemingly pretty vocal) want a F1 program.

As for Audi rumors, anything new about the Michelin tire test or any other sportscar rumors?

[TF110]

Lamborghini have no interest in F1. They aren't even thinking of doing a factory GT program with the Huracan.

[miatanut]

Originally Posted by CTD

Shouldn't we place/continue the Audi to F1 rumour over in the Rumour thread, as it really doesn't have anything to do with the R18?

I was wondering what on earth could be making the R18 thread so active, so I dropped in and found it had nothing to do with the R18.

[deggis]

Semantics, since this is the general Audi thread.

[TzeiTzei]

I find this quite hard to believe. Imo Audi have been trying to make le mans part of their image, and i think they would be the last manufacturer to leave. But then again if you win something in F1 then a bigger audience might actually be aware of it.

[ger80]

Originally Posted by deggis

Semantics, since this is the general Audi thread.

There is a Audi F1 thread in the F1 section

[Simmi]

To be honest the three threads we use for the manufacturers should just be renamed Audi, Toyota and Porsche. That would be a more accurate representation of what is posted in there.


Honestly the more I think about the Audi to F1 idea the more I can see it happening. A huge new motorsport HQ. The arrival of Domenicalli. Porsche getting up to speed in the WEC. Dr Ullrich coming to the end of his tenure.

[MagVanisher]

You know, it would be nice if Audi would win 3 more to tie in with Porsche before bowing out for good 'cause I believe that there would be more politicking when it comes to who's becoming Volkswagen's main arm in the Le Mans effort.

Currently, Volkswagen Group has 30+ Le Mans victories being shared by 3 marques.

[MyNameIsNigel]

Endurance Racing is part of Audi's DNA and is being exploited as a very efficient marketing tool. Opting to run as an F1 engine supplier or partner in what is in effect a declining series simply makes no sense. I do trust that the Boards of Audi and of the VW Group now have sufficient evidence demonstrating that they are far better running in the WEC than in F1, even if this means having two sister companies fighting in the same series for the next decades.

If there is one Board member at the VW Group suggesting that Audi should run in F1, he or she should resign immediately...

[ger80]

Originally Posted by MyNameIsNigel

Endurance Racing is part of Audi's DNA and is being exploited as a very efficient marketing tool.

Really? Most people I know dont know Audi & Le Mans - they all know F1 & Mercs

[deggis]

Originally Posted by ger80

There is a Audi F1 thread in the F1 section

Is this the F1 subforum?

[MyNameIsNigel]

Originally Posted by ger80

Really? Most people I know dont know Audi & Le Mans - they all know F1 & Mercs

I guess that those who know about and buy Audi, do know about Audi's achievements in Endurance Racing. It's a question of culture I assume.

[gustavobamba]

Eventually they will leave Endurance, nothing last forever. I prefer they stay and fight with new brands (if possible).

My bet is they will in 2016-17-18 (only board members know) go to F1, stay at least 3 years, hope to win something, and IF the things not going well they will return "BIG" in Endurance with a Gasoline engine and with a massive hybrid engine ( courtesy of the F1 experience gain).

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

If Audi move into F1 at any time during the next 20 years at the expense of both LMP1 and DTM, I'll eat my hat.

Given that they've only raced LMPs for about 15 years (and there was a brief period when only their backed customers seriously raced them), such period of time you say seems far too stretched... maybe five or I'll eat my hat

[Simmi]

Wow, Audi came straight out and addressed the rumour. Good news for sportscar fans!

@Audi__Sport
#Audi in F1? There rumors keep appearing with regularity since years. It's pure speculation again this time and without any foundation

@Audi__Sport
#Audi Sport is committed to the @FIAWEC , @DTM and GT racing. In 2015 we will add the Audi Sport TT Cup to our program #welcomechallenges

https://twitter.com/Audi__Sport

[Creep89]

https://twitter.com/audi__sport/stat...03398727565312

@Audi__Sport: #Audi in F1? There rumors keep appearing with regularity since years. It's pure speculation again this time and without any foundation


So I guess this explains everything.

[Rodger Davies]

So they addressed the F1 part of the rumour, but not the Alonso part.........

I'm kidding, I'm kidding........

[MyNameIsNigel]

According to Sport Audi, Audi have been testing with 4MJ and 6MJ ERS at Estoril. If Audi can make the jump to the 6MJ hybrid, that would be quite a surprise.