As recently reported by formulapassion.it, next week (most likely Thursday), a decisive meeting will be held regarding what appears to be an imminent officialization of the Volkswagen group’s arrival in Formula 1. The Ingolstadt-based company’s plan is to field two of its brands, Porsche and Audi, alongside Red Bull and McLaren. In this regard, they are ready to offer 500 million euros to McLaren to replace Mercedes in the supply of power units and to become a shareholder of the Woking team. Porsche in the past has already won in Formula 1 together with McLaren from 1984 to 1986 with Niki Lauda and Alain Prost, while for Audi it would be a first in the series.
In 2026, Formula 1 will change the regulation relating to power units. Some changes compared to the current eniges were decisive in ‘unlocking’ interest from Volkswagen. The MGU-H will no longer be part of the 2026 power units and the removal of the complex heat recovery system produced by the turbine was the fundamental step backwards – to which Mercedes and Ferrari have not opposed – to cut costs by 50% and to convince Volkswagen to look with interest at the new regulation cycle relating to engines that will be a reality in Formula 1 in four years’ time. The use of bio-fuels was also an important assist to Porsche and Audi. It should not be forgotten, in fact, that Porsche is already working on a Hypercar to return to winning at Le Mans and Daytona starting from 2023, the year in which Ferrari will also return to Le Mans to compete in the premier category. The V8 hybrid biturbo with 500 Kilowatt batteries powered by biofuels will be the real test in which Porsche will experience the engine that it will build for Formula 1 in 2026.
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