Audi and Porsche in F1: What Would It Look Like?

While this week has been flooded with excitement surrounding the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, social media has also been abuzz with the exciting news that Audi and Porsche look set to join Formula One in 2026.

While there hasn’t been an official announcement of this news, Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, spoke at an event in Wolfsburg on Monday and said that Volkswagen would allow Audi and Porsche to enter F1. The Volkswagen Group owns a number of well-established global car and motorcycle brands such as Audi, Bentley, Cupra, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda and Volkswagen.

Their argument in favour of participating in Formula One comes down to two factors: money and exposure. Diess said on Monday that in looking at the pros and cons of the situation, joining the sport would bring in more money than it would cost the company. As well, the global reach of the sport - one that continues to explode - is so enticing that Diess claimed that it would be so worth it to explore, that Porsche would be willing to reduce their substantial racing activities in other disciplines and focus more on a Formula One entry.

So what would this make the grid look like in 2026?

It’s currently understood that if this plan comes to fruition, Porsche would likely come to terms with some sort of agreement with Red Bull where the constructor could be registered as Red Bull Racing-Porsche. There are existing motorsport links between Red Bull and Volkswagen, notably in the FIA World Rally Championship where Volkswagen had a dominant four-year run with Red Bull from 2013 to 2016. In that time, Volkswagen Motorsport won four straight Manufacturers’ championships while Sébastien Ogier scored four Drivers' titles.

As for Audi, they appear prepared to offer around 500 million euros ($556.30 million) to buy McLaren Racing. Everyone knows how expensive Formula One operations can be, as the barriers to enter the sport have risen considerably over the last two decades. A major organization like Volkswagen, however, certainly appears to have the money to make such an endeavour work. Despite these rumours though, McLaren are not up for sale according to Team Principal and CEO Zak Brown, who poured some cold water on the rumours by saying:

"If they decide (to come in) then there's a conversation to be had but at this point we don't want to have any conversations until we know someone is committed to the sport.”

To understand a major factor in Volkswagen’s decision to dive into the world of Formla One, you have to look at their commitment to electric vehicle production. Globally, no traditional car maker has leaned into electric vehicles more than Volkswagen. The company is spending billions of dollars on their EV initiatives, and it’s predicted by LMC Automotive - an automotive focused global forecasting and market intelligence service provider - that by 2025, Volkswagen will lead all electric car makers in global car sales, surpassing the likes of General Motors, Tesla, and Renault-Nissan. It’s also notable that Porsche have been participating in Formula E since 2019, while Audi have been involved since the very first Formula E season which began in 2014.

What does this have to do with their involvement in F1? Volkswagen's decision to participate could come down to whether the sport stays on course with their plans to switch to synthetic fuels by 2026. Volkswagen has also been trying to restore its public image after the Dieselgate emissions scandal and have been making big efforts to follow carbon reduction targets imposed by the government.

Would F1 help them with this though? Will Max Verstappen be winning championships with a Porsche power unit behind his head? Could Pato O’Ward or Colton Herta be driving beside Lando Norris in an Audi? It appears the company feels these are multi-million dollar questions worth asking.