Volkswagen Could Be Coming To F1… Or Not

• New engine regulations will take effect in 2026, and VW has been part of those ongoing discussions.

• VW wouldn’t waste time in F1 meetings if they didn’t want to enter the sport according to former VW exec.

• Porsche and Red Bull were on the verge of a partnership in 2017 that fell apart at the las minute.

Audi and/or Porsche may soon be coming to Formula 1, or not. It all depends on the new engine regulations according to Jost Capito the current CEO at Williams. Capito has a pretty good handle on what the Volkswagen Group, parent company of Audi and Porsche, is thinking; he served as Volkswagens’ sporting director between 2012 and 2016 a tenure that included four consecutive World Rally titles with Sébastien Ogier between 2013 and 2016.

As reported here, earlier this month Porsche admitted that the VW Group was looking into the possibility, but Capito seems to think that possibility is getting closer to reality.

The key will be the engine regulations that will take effect starting in 2026. The VW Group have participated in the meetings that will form those regulations.

“I think it depends a lot on the regulation, and the engine regulation for 2026 hasn’t come out yet. I think it all depends on it,” Capito told Motorsport.com.

“If they were serious — they participated in the discussions about engine regulations, and I don’t think they would waste time going to those meetings, especially with the CEO also attending those meetings, if they weren’t serious. But, in the end, it depends on what the final regulation will be, if the Volkswagen Group thinks it makes sense, then they can go to the council and ask for a decision.”

If VW does enter the sport, don’t expect them to start their own factory team. Capito points out that Audi and Porsche have already worked in partnership with teams that field rally and sports cars.

“I know it’s always difficult with a known team, especially with a German team with all union regulations, you really can’t have a racing team,” he said. “That’s why, in the past, Audi teamed up with Joest with other teams, the same thing happened with BMW, as it is very difficult to have a factory team. It might be easier if it’s abroad, but I really don’t know.

“When you look at the Volkswagen Group, they’ve had different strategies in the past. The rally team was completely from the factory, and Porsche made teams from completely outsourced factories, the same thing with Audi. I’m not involved in this type of decision, but I think that explains enough for them to make the right decisions.”

So which team might VW be interested in? In early September, rumors began to surface that the partnership would be with Red Bull in 2026.

According to former F1 engineer now team principal at team MTEK, Ernst Knoors, a collaboration between Red Bull and the Volkswagen Group would make sense as it almost happened just a few years ago according to Knoors, so the VW Group and Red Bull already have links.

"The link is still very good. One of the reasons they played it so hard with Renault at the time is that they were convinced that Porsche was going to do Formula 1," Knoors said in an interview with Formule1.nl.

Porsche looked to come into Formula 1 in 2017. The VW board signed off on it and the F1 engine it planned to use had already been tested. At the last minute the deal fell apart though.

"Because of Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal, however, a line has been drawn through it," Knoors said.

This time around, Knoors feels that Red Bull will need the technical support of someone such as Audi or Porsche is a new engine is introduced in 2026 if they hope to compete with Mercedes or Ferrari.