Audi wins Sebring – will it ever enter F1?
22nd March 2009, 9:39 by Keith Collantine 36 Comments »
Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello, Audi R15 TDi, Sebring 12 Hours
Audi’s staggering domination of international sports car racing continued this weekend as its new R15 won its first race in the Sebring 12 Hours.
Audi has systematically crushed its sports car rivals around the world this decade. The Sebring event has fallen to Audi nine times in the last ten years. They’ve won prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours eight times in the last nine years – and the 2003 race was won by the Audi R8C-based Bentley Speed 8.
It’s won the American Le Mans Series every year since 2000 and won its European equivalent last year as well, inflicting another bruising defeat on Peugeot.
The formidable Audi outfit clearly has little left to prove in the world of endurance racing. With the costs of entering F1 projected to fall in the near future, will it soon take up the challenge of squaring up against its domestic rivals Mercedes and BMW in F1 soon? I hope so…
Read more: It’s time for Audi to take the F1 bait
todd said on 22nd March 2009, 10:36
from a marketing and business perspective, it seems pointless to leave the existing racing and focus on f1, its great media to be winning all the time.
they’d have to pony up the budget for a whole new team, facilities and all, wouldn’t be cheap, and on top of that, they risk not being competitive and tarnishing their dominating image.
but IMO they should get into f1, their main consumer rivals are (bmw & merc), maybe buy their way into williams or another existing outfit… could buy out STR – they’re looking to sell…
Andy Vandervell said on 22nd March 2009, 10:40
Would like it, but don’t see it happening. As Todd says, there’s no real benefit for Audi in moving to F1 unless it did run both at the same time and it’s hardly the right time for that.
Perhaps Porsche instead?
KingHamilton said on 22nd March 2009, 10:38
Ill put it like this…
I hope so too……
would be great to see Audi in F1, I reckon they’d do quite well like BMW
Andy Vandervell said on 22nd March 2009, 10:43
Sorry for the double, but maybe there are number of brands in the VW stable that could get involved. Bugatti, of course, has F1 pedigree (as a brand), so if the group were to get involved perhaps it would do it like that…
Rob Wilson said on 22nd March 2009, 11:27
i thought of audi f1 aaages ago! would be great if they did enter….come on, they cant be short of money… go on audi! enter for the 2010 season along with USF1, then there would be 24 cars on the grid! i think they would do well…like sorta bmw standard i imagine.
lbh said on 22nd March 2009, 11:31
The reason they do not enter F1 is simple – they will be uncompetitive and will loose image in the eyes of those that value them highly.
Keith Collantine said on 22nd March 2009, 11:33
Do you think they stay in sportscars because they like being a big fish in a small pond?
Sasquatsch said on 23rd March 2009, 14:34
That is certainly the reason why they blocked Porsches entry to LMP1 in 2000. They (VAG) didn’t want it’s ally to compete with them in the LMS.
Adrian said on 22nd March 2009, 11:57
Perhaps the best way into F1 for audi would be as an engine supplier – or as todd says above, to buy into an existing outfit (isn’t there already a connection between STR and VW..??)
That said, I’m actually looking forward to seeing more independent teams on the grid, not more manufacturers…
lbh said on 22nd March 2009, 12:05
I wouldn’t put it that way. The f1 technology has gone too far for a newcomer (no mater who they are) to be able to catch up quickly (may be at all).
Audi have dominated the American Lemans, but who were they racing against? I don’t remember anyone else in the LMP1 class. This year there is Acura for the first time and in their first race they got the pole. They claim the Acura was the best handling car and was leading untill reliability issues appeared. Those issues will be sorted. Lets just wait and see what happens this season.
Filipe said on 22nd March 2009, 18:06
Acura is there since last season. And they’re no match for Audi, they got the pole thanks to the right set up and were behind very early in the race (and not because any car problem). Audi one real rival remains Peugeot, which actually has a faster car but is no match for Audi when it comes to menage a endurance race.
jonathan102 said on 22nd March 2009, 23:04
Acura was in the LMP2 catagory last year. 2009 is their first year in LMP1 with their ARX-02a.
and the reason why Acura is so far behind in race is because they are using a petrol engine, and due to the rules the petrol cars are no match aganist the diesel.
Tim said on 22nd March 2009, 12:40
I think Audi has never previously been convinced of the need to field an F1 team. It’s been steamrollering the opposition in sportcars for the best part of a decade and gets a lot of coverage against Mercedes in the DTM. Both of these programmes would have to be ditched to mount a proper F1 attack. Sportscars are less of an issue but the DTM would effectively collapse if Audi pulled out, which could have serious implications for the company’s standing in its domestic market.
The proposed budget cap regulations might convince Audi that F1 is now better value for money – but Audi could well take the view that it’s better off showcasing its high technology products in sportscars rather than a lower tech F1.
Hallard said on 22nd March 2009, 12:52
I think we all would love to see Audi in F1, even as just an engine supplier. However, if Bernie and Max manage to dilute and devalue the sport as much as they are planning, then we might just get a few F1 teams joining Audi in sports car racing and leaving F1 behind.
Pete Walker said on 22nd March 2009, 12:59
Whilst Audi’s stunning performances in sportscar racing are fantastic promotion for the road car brand, the exposure and public awareness just isn’t in the same league as Formula 1. Added to that, as impressive as their results have been over the last decade, they’ve not been us against as many road car manufacturers during this time as there are currently (or at least, have been recently) in F1.
I think making the jump would be great for them. Success wouldn’t come immediately but in the long term it would be great to prove themselves against Mercedes and BMW. I hope they give it a go.
VW have long been rumoured to want to get into F1 but never did because of costs. Out of Audi and VW, I’m not sure which brand VAG would enter under- maybe we’ll get Skoda F1 instead
lbh said on 22nd March 2009, 13:20
As for Audi and DTM:
“In the past, Audi had used a V8 engine in the series with the original Audi V8 quattro, but had opted for a highly tuned V8 which Audi had no resources for. So Honda was contacted; at the time they had been using V8s in Indy Racing League (IRL). Audi wanted a similar package in performance and reliability, so Honda and Mugen (M-Tec) got together and decided to let Audi use the Mugen/Honda MF308 V8 engine[18]. The only improvements made to the racing engine by Audi was shaving weight off the crankshaft since the engine had already been designed from the ground up. Audi Sport prepped tested/implemented/approved and raced the engine in 2004, which produced 460 bhp (343 kW; 466 PS) and over 500 N·m (370 ft·lbf) of torque in 4.0 litre trim, and has been a mainstay in Audi’s DTM programme.”
– Racecar Engineering Oct 2007 DTM: Worlds Closest Racing Saloon Series
There is a long way for Audi to go from their high-tech endeavors to the low-tech f1.
TommyB said on 22nd March 2009, 14:20
Well Done Bourdais. I good 2nd place despite the puncture!
F1Yankee said on 22nd March 2009, 18:04
absolutely! i wish more of today’s drivers would take on challenges like montoya, boudais and franchitti have.
Jess said on 22nd March 2009, 15:01
IMO,
Audi has made its market on Sportscar Racing. A jump to F1 (especilay in this time) would not make a good busness scince. I dont think F1 rules are appealing to Audi either. At this time I think that AMLS/Le Mans gives manufactures more room to play. From Tire, Fuel, Fan enteraction. I see Audi being to restricted in F1 for it to apeal to them.
TimP said on 22nd March 2009, 16:09
As great as Audi’s achievements have been in endurance prototypes, I can’t see them making any move to F1. The R15 has been 2 years in development, it’s a whole new car from the ground up, and it managed to win it’s first race: outstanding? Yes. Costly? Enormously. All that R&D budget, design and manufacture cost, testing etc etc etc and it’s only going racing twice this year. Sebring and Le Mans. Audi racing have only been given the budget to race their Flagship Car twice in one year. I find it highly unlikely they’ll start pouring money into a series they have no experience in purely on the basis they can build an all conquering endurance racer. Especially considering the current state of the car industry as a whole.
GeorgeK said on 22nd March 2009, 16:18
Audi will not enter F1 for two simple reasons; Bernie and Max.
Why would a prestigious car manufacturer get involved with a sport run by a tyrannical sexual deviate and aging sycophant who change the rules for the series with whatever whim seems to strike them at the moment?