Will Porsche commit to Formula 1 middecade, when the new engine regulations are finalised? Its Volkswagen Group parent stands on the precipice and has been openly engaged in talks, but it has yet to confirm that one of its brands – most likely Porsche – will take the plunge into grand prix racing. But there’s a sense that ‘yes’ is more likely than ‘no’ right now.
There are other questions: if Wolfsburg chooses to push the big button, would it enter as a powertrain partner with Red Bull Racing? That would make more sense than starting from scratch, at least from a competitive point of view – although what’s the true value if the car isn’t painted in Porsche colours? Then again, should Porsche bother with F1 at all? No other form of racing comes anywhere close in terms of global appeal – certainly not Formula E or the World Endurance Championship. But in the face of real-world challenges, should a highprofile F1 campaign really be a priority, even with synthetic e-fuels and sensible budget caps?
Sure, Dan Gurney won the 1962 French Grand Prix in a little silver Porsche, and Niki Lauda and Alain Prost scored a hat-trick of F1 titles in the mid-1980s driving McLarens with Weissach’s turbo V6 engines (albeit bearing TAG badges). But is Porsche really an F1 company? It fits at Le Mans – of course it does. But it has never really been at home in F1. Perhaps it’s time for that to change.
So many questions, so many possibilities. It’s a good time, then, to speak to Porsche Motorsport’s new boss, Thomas Laudenbach.
F1 CALL MUST BE MADE SOON
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 17, 2021-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 17, 2021-Ausgabe von Autocar UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
AUDI SQ8 E-TRON SPORTBACK
Our big EV has already clocked 10,000 miles. Here's what we've learned so far
RAISING THE SHED
The 'factory' where Tyrrell's F1 winners were made has been saved from demolition. Damien Smith peers inside
LIKE A SCAT OUT OF HELL
Brendan McAleer convenes two Scat Pack Dodges in Hells Gate, Canada, to give the V8 muscle car icons a suitably sizzling send-off
Slow but 'Shaw
For certain EV customers, range and speed scarcely matter, and what they do need is best provided by a small British company called Bradshaw.
"I want to know what they are whispering to their mechanics
Ford boss Jim Farley tells Steve Cropley why both he and the company will continue racing, what's next for Mustang and one thing that would lead to his instant dismissal
JEEP WRANGLER
Jeep updates its brand-defining macho 4x4 as it enjoys a surge in popularity
AUDI Q4 E-TRON
EV is now more potent and more efficient - but is something missing from UK spec?
MERCEDES-AMG CLE 53 COUPE
Extra 67bhp and dynamic upgrades for angrier-looking version of new two-door
MG 3
Cheap-as-chips supermini makes way for all-new hybrid aimed at bereft Fiesta fans
Urus now PHEV only - with 789bhp
Lamborghini's revised SUV drops pure petrol for a V8 hybrid with a 37-mile EV range