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VW takes a Look at Formula One – History Repeating Itself?
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A recent article in German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche stated that the motorsport chief of the VW Group, Wolfgang Dürheimer is going to propose that the Volkswagen group enter Formula 1 in 2018.
Why is this significant? VW have often been rumoured to be throwing their lot into the F1 world over the past couple of decades yet have not taken the plunge. Things are, however, very different now. Consider this: from 2014, F1 cars will be powered by 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines, a far cry from the big V8′s that the current regulations allow.
The move is in the name of efficiency, a step towards proving that F1 can be ‘green’ and forward thinking. To a point this is understandable, as in the current economic climate a motor manufacturer spending upwards of $300,000,000 a year to race two cars 20 times is not exactly in line with current thinking. So, why VW, and why now?
New Rules to Attract The Car Makers
Bear in mind that, in the past few years, Toyota, Honda and BMW have all sold or folded their F1 teams after toiling for many years with limited success. Honda, indeed, sold out to Ross Brawn who went on to use the basic chassis, fitted with a Mercedes engine, to win the title in the Brawn team’s one and only season in 2009, with Jenson Button at the wheel. Perhaps the main attraction for VW, however, is the other name mentioned in the above sentence – Mercedes Benz.
Following Brawn’s success the team changed hands and, with Brawn still at the helm, became the works Mercedes Benz F1 team, marking the first time that manufacturer has been present in F1 since the all-conquering days of the 1950′s.
With returning seven times world champion and all-round legend Michael Schumacher in one car and young hot-shot Nico Rosberg in the other big things were expected of the ‘Silver Arrows’. The results in both 2010 and 2011, while respectable, have been short of sensational with no wins in sight, and Schumacher in particular appearing as a pale shadow of his former self.
Return of The Silver Arrows
Back to VW, and let’s have a look at the significance of the ‘Silver Arrows’ name. For anyone interested in motor racing history it is synonymous with a period immediately before the
Second World War in which two German companies, each backed by the government, raised the bar in Grand Prix racing. Mercedes Benz went head to head with long forgotten marque Auto Union with cars that were far and away more technologically advanced than any from Italy, France or the UK.
So revolutionary were the Auto Unions, in fact, that they had their engine behind the driver – a concept now the norm for racing cars across the world, but in 1934 very new indeed. If I tell you they were designed by a certain Dr Porsche you may begin to see the significance.
So, Auto Union – who were they? Here’s a clue: the company badge consisted of four interlocking circles in a straight line. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? You don’t have to rack your brains to realize that we could be talking about Audi, and indeed we are. Auto Union was, as the name suggests, a union of four German motor manufacturers – Audi, Wanderer, DKW and Horch. The name died out in the latter quarter of the 20th century as car companies began to merge, but the family line can be traced to the modern day Audi.
Legendary Battles Resumed
The rivalry between the Mercedes and Auto Union teams in the 1930′s was legendary. The Mercedes cars generally had the upper hand with the Auto Unions, despite their technical excellence, being notoriously difficult to drive. The two companies also indulged in speed record runs, sometimes on the same day on a stretch of specially cleared Autobahn, and these, too, became much publicized events.
Come the war and the subsequent ban on German teams in international motor sport until the early 1950′s and the titanic battle was cut short.
Back to the present, and we have the VW group making serious noises about entering F1. But what name would they use? VW, the mother brand, does not have much resonance as a Formula One brand and has little in the way of top notch motorsport history. Audi, on the other hand, has forged a reputation in sports car racing and international touring car series with great success.
The other VW Group brands include Bentley, another name synonymous with Le Mans, Bugatti and, of course, Porsche. The latter, in particular, has dipped its toes into F1 on more than one occasion – first in the 1960′s with limited success, then in the 1980′s when it was a partner with McLaren with great success, and latterly with a failed engine supply deal with the defunct Footwork team. So it looks like Porsche may be the logical choice.
But wait a minute: the VW Group holds the rights to the Auto Union name. Defunct it may be, and unused on a road car for decades, but so was Bugatti, and look what they did with that old name. Imagine, if you would, a special edition Audi TT Auto Union, or one of the many concept cars being brought to life to revive the name. Imagine, then, the publicity generated by the return of Auto Union vs. Mercedes Benz in F1.
The attraction of a small, turbocharged engine, similar in size to a road car engine in a regular saloon, and F1 is one that is obvious. It will also be attractive to Honda, Toyota, Renault – who are already committed – and more. The opportunity for publicity and promotion is ripe – mark my words, VW will be in F1 in the near future, in one form or another. Not to do so would be to miss the boat.
Tags: f1, Formula One, Volkswagen
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