Volkswagen to enter F1?

VW are considering entering a team in to Formula One if the costs of participation continue to fall. Audi F1? Bugatti F1? Porsche F1? We’ll see.

Volkswagen are on a world domination quest at the moment. Despite the economy, just about all their brands are performing ahead of the market, and they have recently wrestled control of Porsche, having managed to turn the tables on Porsche’s own predatory plans.

But we’re hearing reports that VW is considering going in to Formula 1 which – with manufacturer teams leaving willy-nilly – does perhaps seem a bit odd. And VW has no F1 history to speak of. Yes, Auto Union did participate in Grands Prix pre-war, Porsche had a very minor bash decades ago and Lamborghini has offered up a few engines for other teams. But no direct involvement from VW.

So why would they choose now to reveal an F1 team is under consideration? Especially as car makers like Ford, Jaguar, Honda and BMW have all tried and subsequently pulled out. Well, they have made it clear they would only participate if costs continue to fall – which they probably will. And with VW close to becoming the biggest car maker in the world the halo profile of running in F1 could be very valuable to them.

They would also have the option of running as any number of teams – Audi F1; Lamborghini F1; Porsche F1; VW F1; Bentley F1 or even Bugatti F1. And they certainly have the technical knowledge in-house to make a pretty good fist of things if they put their might behind it. We could even see a return of Auto Union to F1 if the report we did last month that VW is considering re-branding the VW Group as Auto Union comes to pass.

The 2011 F1 season could see some interesting names cropping up.