Charles Leclerc showed once again yesterday in practice before the Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday in Melbourne (from 7 a.m., live ORF 1) that the Ferrari has become a winning vehicle again this season. Thanks to him and Carlos Sainz, the Scuderia set the best time on both occasions on the adapted course in Albert Park. But a project is also gaining momentum away from the race track: for months now, the VW Group subsidiaries Audi and Porsche have been associated with an entry. The Volkswagen supervisory board confirmed the automaker’s plans at its meeting on Thursday.
Formula 1 wants to accommodate interested manufacturers with a compromise. From 2026, the hybrid engines are to be operated with 100 percent sustainable fuel. The combustion engine in the unit should only contribute 50 percent of the power, the rest is electric. That fits with the future direction of the auto industry.
Audi boss Markus Duesmann is tempted to enter the premier class. The graduate engineer has a Formula 1 past himself, he used to be head of development at Mercedes, and later he was responsible for the drives department at BMW. “If Formula 1 becomes more sustainable, it could become interesting for Audi,” Duesmann has repeatedly admitted.
Audi is associated with a takeover of the British sports car brand McLaren, which is also represented in Formula 1 with Mercedes as its engine partner. Porsche is traded as a possible partner of Red Bull around the current world champion Max Verstappen.
Mercedes, on the other hand, is coming under more and more pressure this year. The series world champion team is currently only doing its rounds in midfield. “Nothing we change makes a difference at the moment, that’s the difficulty,” Lewis Hamilton complained yesterday.
Source: Nachrichten
