A rumor centering out of AutoExpress suggests big changes are afoot at Audi Sport. If true, the story signals an Audi Sport departure from LMP1 sportscar racing and also the DTM in favor of F1. Audi’s supposed recent hiring of former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali as potential successor to Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich also weighs into the plan.
It’s no secret that Ullrich has never really been a fan of Formula One. Every time rumors of an Audi move to the top tier of open wheel racing would come up, Ullrich didn’t waste time batting them down on the grounds that Le Mans and the WEC were better platforms by which to develop technology for road going cars. That Le Mans also allowed Audi to play with technology like diesel and hybrid racecars over the last few years only seemed to reinforce the statement.
On the other hand, the DTM series was always a bit of a head scratcher. The chassis is effectively spec, with non-production brand specific bodywork and Audi engines supplied by an outside source in the UK. Audi’s rich heritage in the DTM and touring car racing in general, plus the series’ strong following in Germany and excellent availability online helped make a case, but the series still never really seemed to pass Ullrich’s “Why We Don’t Race in F1″ theorizations. Perhaps the DTM decision was made at higher levels.
Apparently the decision to go to F1 is also being made on higher levels. It seems the WEC/Le Mans budget will be rolled together with the DTM budget in order to make a go at F1. The report suggests Audi is eyeing an established team as acquisition, namely Red Bull or Red Bull Toro Rosso, though others like Sauber could also be targets. When it comes to tech though, that could go in house as the AutoExpress report suggests they’re working on a 1.6-liter V6, and have been developing it since earlier this year.
If the Domenicali rumor is correct, and AutoExpress seems to think it is, then this could also signal potential drivers. Domenicali has been linked to Fernando Alonso, who departs Ferrari at the end of this season.
There’s no doubt Audi’s Le Mans fans will feel this as a hit. Cars developed for Le Mans are usually on a three-year program and the current R18 won its first outing this year. Had it won its second and third outings, Audi would bump up to 15 wins at Le Mans versus its current 13. To be honest, the team has only really been beaten at Le Mans once (by Peugeot in 2009). It also lost to Bentley, but to many (including us) that doesn’t really count considering the Bentley was campaigned by Team Joest with Audi drivers and running an Audi engine. Ingolstadt’s dominance in Le Mans is hard to ignore, and knocking at the door of Porsche’s record of 16 wins likely doesn’t sit well with the Porsche and Piech families who hold a fair amount of sway at the Volkswagen Group and thus Audi
What this means for the current Audi Sport family also remains to be seen. Tom Kristensen’s retirement has also been rumored since former teammates Dindo Capello and Allan McNish have retired, however the winningest driver ever at Le Mans remains competitive in his pace. Younger contracted drivers and 2014 Le Mans winners Lotterer/Fassler/Treluyer could go to Porsche as a third driver team much like Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard were “leant” to Audi following the RS Spyder era. That Andre Lotterer rather surprisingly also went and did an F1 race this year also shouldn’t be ignored
The AutoExpress report also mentions Audi Sport customer racing. The Audi R8 LMS has proven to be a profit center for Audi, so development will continue in this regard. No new TT RS VLN has yet to be announced, though a new TT Cup series has. Perhaps too this might be a time to explore the idea of customer LMP programs minus costly technology like TDI or hybridization and wage an all-out assault on localized sportscar series like the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. There’ve been rumors of the latter, but nothing concrete.
Looking ahead to F1, it has always been an interesting proposition. Yes, this would mean big changes for Audi’s loyal fan base and it would be a hit to the WEC who is sure to have a halcyon season this coming year with no less than Audi, Porsche, Toyota and Nissan battling it out for overall dominance. Even still, an Audi presence in F1 would mean a return of the four rings to Grand Prix racing from a hiatus that began before World War II when the Auto Union Silver Arrows battled it out with German rivals Mercedes-Benz. Audi squaring off with brands like Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren would make for an interesting future.
Okay, But How Reliable Is This Report?
We’ll be honest. We started this website under the Ullrich era and have attended Le Mans no less than nine times. We really don’t want it to end. We want Audi to become the winningest brand at Le Mans and then some. We want Audi to take advantage of the growing dominance of the WEC/Le Mans platform and also to enjoy the fruits of its labors in lobbying for small displacement turbos in DTM racing just as that platform moves to solidify its presence in Japan and the USA. F1 was the last thing on our wish list, but we’re still excited by the challenge.
All that said, F1 rumors have come around before and are usually batted down. We’re less likely to disregard this one. It was penned by Australian motoring writer Michael Taylor. We’ve gotten to know Michael over the years and have come to count him amongst our club of most often correct soothsayers in the industry rumor business, alongside others like Georg Kacher and Greg Kable. Michael knows his shit.
On top of that, Michael was just at the A6/A7 launch in Germany. Why is that significant? It’s significant because you get to hang out with executives who know what’s up when it comes to looking forward. Yes, far-reaching ideas can and will be subject to change, but they’re great litmus as to what’s going to happen in the future. In short, we’re taking this one VERY seriously.
Want to learn more? Read Michael’s piece in AutoExpress HERE, or a longer piece by the same author HERE.
Editor’s Note: The illustration at the top of this story is a render of an Audi F1 car published by this website as part of an independent designer highlight series by Australian designer Kim Stapleton and is not a real car.