Volkswagen does not consider F1 before 2018
We are not likely to see the German manufacturer in F1 anytime soon...
We know that Volkswagen will not join F1 in the short term. The involvement of the German manufacturer had been considered around 2013 – in fact, the 4-cylinder engine was proposed to attract them – but it will not happen. However, the brand does not close the door to F1 and could commit to it in a few years.
« I can imagine an engagement in Formula 1 in 2018 when the company will be at the forefront of the automotive industry, » said Volkswagen Group’s motorsport director, Wolfgang Duerheimer, to the magazine Auto Motor und Sport.
According to Duerheimer, F1 needs more stability and a better image before the German group considers joining the discipline. It is not the poor management of the Bahrain cases and the regulations around blown diffusers that will make Volkswagen’s board want to take the plunge.
The day the group is ready to come to F1, the question will be with which brand it will do so. Volkswagen indeed owns Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, and SEAT, most of which are already engaged in a championship. Therefore, there will be no shortage of options the day the decision to join F1 is made.
