Audi and Porsche F1 decisions imminent as top brass meeting is held

The Volkswagen Group is set for a crunch meeting to discuss the potential Formula 1 entries for Audi and Porsche, RacingNews365.com has learned.

A meeting of top-level management from the VW main board is set to be held in Wolfsburg throughout Thursday afternoon, with the Audi and Porsche projects up for discussion as part of the wider agenda.

Both marques have been strongly linked with upcoming F1 entries, with German media reporting a potential link-up between Audi and McLaren. Automotive newspaper Automobilwoche reported earlier this week that Audi are offering 650 million euros to land an initial stake in McLaren's F1 team.

As reported by RacingNews365.com in January, Porsche could be set to establish a relationship with Red Bull.

Following the discussions, both projects will be put to a vote. Official announcements regarding the outcome of these votes could thus be made on Thursday evening, possibly as early as 18:00 CET.

Audi letter reveals the state of play

Last December, a letter sent by Audi CEO Markus Duesmann and Oliver Hoffmann from the brand's Board of Management to former FIA President Jean Todt was revealed by RacingNews365.com.

This letter was distributed to members of the World Motor Sport Council at their 15 December meeting, and indicated that Audi were ready to put pen to paper on a potential F1 entry in light of the "Regulation Framework Issue 6" being passed by the council.

This framework refers to the future power unit regulations, which have been of utmost importance to the VW Group in their considerations.

The regulations have been outlined with the aim of using 100 per cent sustainable fuels, and a shift of focus to more electrical power. The intent is also to significantly reduce costs, both for existing and new manufacturers.

The letter indicated that Audi hoped to confirm entry in "early 2022".

Photo: Sean Bull Design