Porsche & Audi to join F1!

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

The rumors are now CONFIRMED! Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess stated during a live stream held in German on the official VW Group page on YouTube. The VW name won't be used in the F1 series as it, "doesn't fit and the brand will not participate." Cue Audi and Porsche!

Diess said the rule changes planned for 2026 are the perfect opportunity to enter the competition. Our sister site Motorsport.com quotes Diess saying this was the "last chance" for a decade to make such an important decision.

Remember how we said Porsche will be investing to save the combustion engine with fully sustainable synthetic fuel here?

Both Porsche and Audi are prioritizing their commitment to top-tier racing from 2026 when the combustion engines will run on fully sustainable synthetic fuel. The VW Group's top brass mentioned it takes three to four years to develop an F1 engine, so a decision had to be made sooner rather than later to be ready for 2026.

Diess believes that the competition to be had in F1 is "developing extremely positively worldwide." Would you agree with Diess that the exposure to F1 in the US, as well as Asia, has greatly increased?

"If you look at the major sporting events or events in the world, it's the case that in motorsport, it's really only Formula 1 that counts and is becoming increasingly differentiated. If you do motorsport, you should do Formula 1 as that's where the impact is greatest. What's more, you can't enter Formula 1 unless a technology window opens up which means, in order to get in there, a rule change: so that everyone starts again from the same place."

Read more details and see more images here.

[pwd72s]

Had to chuckle seeing the Tag Heuer sponsorship. It's part of the Swatch group. So is Hamilton watch...found myself wishing they'd done that...remembering when Lewis tried to sue Hamilton watch for using his name...(Cindy has a 1957 Hamilton watch that belonged to her mother.)

[Geronimo '74]

I'd love to see Porsche make F1 headlines!