Motorsport - Audi boss Döllner: plan for Formula 1 entry in place
Despite all the rumors, Audi still wants to enter Formula 1 in 2026. "There is a clear decision from the Board of Management and the Supervisory Boards of Audi and Volkswagen that Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026. The plan is in place," the new boss Gernot Döllner told Handelsblatt.
Audi announced its billion-euro entry into Formula 1 for the 2026 season at the Belgian Grand Prix in August 2022. "With the new regulations, now is exactly the right time for us to get involved," said Markus Duesmann, then Audi CEO and Formula 1 supporter, at the press conference.
Audi did not want to enter Formula 1 "just for the fun of it", but to show "what we can do. The Olympic idea of just wanting to be there doesn't carry us," he said later.
However, the Volkswagen Group dismissed Duesmann at the end of June. His successor from the beginning of September was Gernot Döllner. The former Porsche man then began by gaining an overview of Audi. As he had a kind of 100-day silence obligation and did not comment on topics such as the planned and also internally controversial Formula 1 entry, rumors simmered about an exit.
Audi has long been preparing to enter Formula 1. The engine is being built in Neuburg an der Donau. The chassis comes from the Sauber team in Hinwil. Audi has long since acquired shares in the traditional Swiss racing team, which is still competing this season under the name of partner Alfa Romeo.
Audi Media Center Motorsport Information on Audi's Formula 1 project
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- Gernot Döllner, the new boss of Audi, highlighted during an interview with Handelsblatt that despite ongoing rumors, Audi is steadfast in its intent to join Formula 1 by 2026, with a well-developed plan already in place.
- Following Audi's announcement of a billion-euro investment into Formula 1 for the 2026 season at the Belgian Grand Prix in August 2022, former CEO Markus Duesmann, a Formula 1 supporter, expressed enthusiasm for the new regulations making it an optimal time for entry.
- Duesmann stated that Audi's intention was not merely for entertainment in Formula 1, but to demonstrate its capabilities and be more than just an observer, echoing the Olympic idea's sentiment.
- After dismissing Duesmann from Volkswagen Group at the end of June, Gernot Döllner assumed the role as Audi CEO from early September. Rumors swirled of Audi potentially withdrawing from the planned Formula 1 entry due to internal controversy.
- Audi has been meticulously preparing for its Formula 1 debut, with the engine being constructed in Neuburg an der Donau and the chassis developed by the Sauber team in Hinwil, which Audi has long had shares in.
- The Audi Media Center provides motorsport-related information, offering updates on Audi's Formula 1 project, which aims to further strengthen the German automaker's presence in the world of Formula 1 racing.
Source: www.stern.de
