McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown has confirmed that his team held talks with Audi about linking up with the German manufacturer for a Formula 1 entry.
There was speculation that Audi, which is part of the VW Group, was looking at taking over the McLaren F1 team as well as its automotive business as a quick way onto the F1 grid, but those discussions ended without an agreement.
Brown has confirmed talks with Audi took place, but suggested nothing would happen in the short to medium term given their engine agreement with Mercedes, which is due to run through 2025, when new engine regulations are due to be introduced.
“They’ve [VW] spoken with a handful of people on the grid, and we had conversations,” Brown told the BBC. “But in the short term and medium term we are very happy where we are.
“So we are just going to wait and see are they going to come into the sport, because that’s not been definitively decided.
“If they do, we have a contract through this term and naturally we’re going to evaluate where we are and take a decision on what we do in 2026 in due course.”
Brown also hinted at a deal between Red Bull and another VW Group manufacturer – Porsche. It’s believed VW could enter F1 with a works team via its Audi brand and as an engine supplier via Porsche.
“I’m hearing they are going to do something with Red Bull on the Porsche front,” added Brown.
VW has been heavily involved in future F1 discussions, actively taking part in shaping the 2025 engine regulations which have been tailored to attract new manufacturers.
Red Bull meanwhile has an agreement with Honda to continue using its engines through 2025 after the Japanese manufacturer bowed out of the sport at the end of 2021, leaving the Milton Keynes team to set up its own division to maintain and develop the Honda engine.
I could see Audi OR Porsche entering F1. Really don’t see both since they’re both under the VW umbrella. Another Manufacturer would bring some more excitement to the sport though. Possibly even a new team. Wouldn’t mind seeing another 2 maybe even 4 more cars on the grid. VW could field a team (under Porsche or Audi), while also being a Manufacturer…and perhaps maybe even a team from Ford or Toyota again.
It makes sense for them to get into F1 with two brands, it’s the best platform available. Let’s see.
If the history of F1 shows anything, it’s that “no” means “yes”, especially from Brown who speaks the language of bullsh*t better than anyone else on the grid. This guy is a conman unlike anything F1 has seen since probably Dany Bahar. Just take a look at this quote, also from today:
“We are financially in great shape,” he said. “Our sales are growing rapidly. I think we have more commercial partners than any other Formula 1 Team announced. MSP has given us the financial resources we need to be profitable.”
“We are financially in great shape”: Is that why the Technology Centre is no longer owned by McLaren? Is that why a large chunk of the historical car collection was sold? Is that why the McLaren Group is being broken up and sold to investment firms? Is that why McLaren dealerships now reside in industrial park buildings that look like strip mall car washes which are shared with other struggling brands?
“I think we have more commercial partners than any other Formula 1 Team announced.”: i.e., Advertising on a McLaren is really cheap, which is the cars are filled to the brim with mostly sponsors that no one has ever heard of. Notice he doesn’t mention how much the deals with all of the companies amount to — quantity over quality is the Zak Brown way. I bet all combined are not nearly as much as Red Bull and Mercedes, who like McLaren in the past under Ron Dennis, have few sponsors but they are worth A LOT of money.
“MSP has given us the financial resources we need to be profitable.”: This guy just never stops, does he? What he is actually saying here is that MSP took a minority stake in McLaren F1 in 2020 for $200 million, starting with 15% of the company, which will rise to 33% by the end of this year. Healthy companies do NOT sell shares like this. This is a sign that a company is failing badly. Investment firms like MSP Capital do not buy into F1 teams because they love the sport — they buy because they plan on making money in the near future, at any cost.
Just want to repeat this:
“We are financially in great shape”
“We are financially in great shape”
“We are financially in great shape”
“We are financially in great shape”
LOL. Okay, Zak.