Audi’s current racing prowess comes exclusively from its entries in LeMans and the German Touring Masters, the DTM. However it’s reportedly looking to revive some of its pre-war GP glory, from the days when its and Mercedes’ “silver arrows” dominated the top tier of motor racing – it wants to get back into F1.
In fact it’s more than that, and Motoring says it not only wants to rejoin the F1 bandwagon, but also quit its official entries in DTM and Le Mans completely.
They quote “multiple sources,” which “have confirmed the premium brand will bow to internal Volkswagen Group pressure and cede Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship at the end of next year to sister brand, Porsche.”
Audi won’t start from the ground up, though, reportedly preferring to purchase an already existing team with which it will meld its own technical know how. The same source suggests their target is either Red Bull Racing or Toro Rosso.
Boosting the credibility of the rumors are the confirmed Audi development of a turbocharged V6 engine and their hiring of “former Ferrari Formula One team principal Stefano Domenicali, an Italian who has no experience with Le Mans-style sports cars or touring car racing and does not even speak German.”
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