Audi and Porsche's F1 deal "as good as done"

According to the Volkswagen Group's multifaceted grapevine, the deal is as good as done – Audi and Porsche will enter Formula One.

All that's missing is the thumbs up from the Volkswagen supervisory board which is due to meet in February and then again in March. If the powers in charge agree, Audi and Porsche will enter top-league motor racing in 2026.

But that's no big news anymore - and only part of the story. After all, the plan is for Audi to team up with the McLaren motorsport division and to take over McLaren Cars. It's one complete all-in parcel, racing and automotive, lock, stock and barrel.

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The due diligence phase has not yet begun, but the lawyers of both parties are already talking, and the main stakeholders - among them the Mumtalakat Holding Company from the Middle East - are allegedly willing to sell the loss-making car business.

But why on earth does Audi need another sports car brand? The debatable reasoning suggests substantial economies of scale between Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche as well as the opportunity to form the world's strongest sports car group.

For a while, it was not clear whether Audi and Porsche would field two pairs of jointly developed F1 race cars or act merely as powertrain supplier. It now transpires that the latter option is about to materialize.

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While Audi would partner with McLaren (no longer a rivalling sports car maker but an ally), Porsche is said to have an arrangement with Red Bull Racing in the works (energy drinks and sports cars don't compete). There even exists a fallback Plan B: Audi & Williams and Porsche & Alpha Tauri or even Haas.

The new drivetrain is reportedly a joint effort by Audi Sport and Porsche Motorsport. Although the VW side had favoured an ultra high-performance 2.0-litre four-cylinder which was from the very beginning part of the so-called world engine project, the FIA opted for the 1.6-litre V6 turbo which was a precondition for Ferrari to stay in F1.

Fed by sustainable fuels and devoid of the capricious MGU-H energy regeneration system, the combustion engine will in the future be supported by 475bhp of e-power - that´s about triple the current output. A budget cap is to be be imposed to lower the barrier to entry.