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Volkswagen Reportedly Held Talks With Red Bull and 2 Other Teams Over Possible F1 Entry

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen following the Abu Dhabi F1 GP

F1 has been looking at roping in new manufacturers into the sport for quite some time now. The reported interest by Porsche and in turn, its parent company Volkswagen Group gives the sport the requisite shot in the arm.

This, however, is dependent on the possible engine regulations which are due to be introduced into F1 in 2025. If these regulations are game-changing as the authorities intend them to be, they might just entice new manufacturers to enter the sport.

If Volkswagen are serious about entering, it will most probably be under either of their brands of Porsche or Audi.

Possible alliances for Porsche and Volkswagen in F1

In a report by BBC, it is as yet not clear whether Porsche would make its entry into F1 as a full works team. They could follow into the footsteps of Mercedes when they joined the sport in 2010, as a full works team.

The Volkswagen Group (VAG) has reportedly held exploratory talks with three teams within F1. Those teams have been found to be – Red Bull, McLaren, and Williams.

These three teams hold obvious appeal and will give varied situations.

Red Bull could be the most obvious choice as they are a competitive team that has never been tied to a particular engine manufacturer. They have been very open to tying up with a car manufacturer, also known as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen during the F1 winter testing in Spain
MONTMELO, SPAIN: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB13 TAG Heuer on track during day two of Formula One winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Williams have a real shot at partnering with VAG as their current chief executive, Jost Capito, was an executive within the VAG hierarchy. He was head of VW Motorsport between 2012 and 2016 and was also a part of the Porsche organization. Despite these reports, Williams have declined to comment.

McLaren are potentially the outsiders in this case, as they are about to embark on their partnership with Mercedes. However, they are a possibility as their team principal, Andreas Seidl, was involved with the organization previously, as the former head of Porsche Motorsport.

Can new manufacturers or OEMs have a successful entry into the sport in the future?

This speculation adds fuel to the fact that there could be a new team within F1 by the time 2025 rolls around. Thus, the engine regulations to be rolled out at that time become hugely important.

AlphaTauri F1 driver Daniil Kvyat during Abu Dhabi GP practice
Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat during practice Hamad I Mohammed/Pool via REUTERS

F1 has been looking at moving towards being more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Moreover, the sport is right now looking for future manufacturers with the introduction of the budget cap in 2021 and the change in car design regulations from 2022.

The success of these moves will go a long way towards luring new OEMs into the sport.

The post Volkswagen Reportedly Held Talks With Red Bull and 2 Other Teams Over Possible F1 Entry appeared first on EssentiallySports.