?......THEY LOOK GOOD IN TESTING!.........hehe
I heard that VW are to return to F1......
- Thread starter Kudoscycles
- Start date
Somehow, I dont think thats likely now... Although the other teams have often been accused of cheating...
Volkswagen have a huge manufacturing facility in China and they are the largest outside partner in the Chinese car market. They must be relieved that the level of overall atmospheric pollution in China is so high that no-one will notice any problems with their emissions!
In fact in some parts, breathing a VW exhaust would be the healthy option.
They'll probably at least be spared paying compensation there.
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In fact in some parts, breathing a VW exhaust would be the healthy option.
They'll probably at least be spared paying compensation there.
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Just for correctness VW have never been in Formula 1 so no return just trying to get in by buying an existing team. Porsche was in Formula 1 for one season (1962), my kiwi workshop professor in design school was on their team as a mechanic. His German influence side kept popping out - ever tried adjusting a wood block to within 10/1000ths of an inch? Tip: choose a very hard wood...
The VW group owns Audi who were Auto Union, who along with Mercedes in the thirties dominated GP motor racing. Audi has been the main motor sport flag carrier for the VW group and has won at Le Mans many times as well as competing in other categories of motor sport.
If an entry into F 1, or more likely just an engine supply deal to Red Bull was ever on - and the defeat device saga has almost certainly put the tin hat on it, Audi would have probably been the brand name used. Rather like Fiat uses one of its brands Ferrari, to front its massive GP investment.
If an entry into F 1, or more likely just an engine supply deal to Red Bull was ever on - and the defeat device saga has almost certainly put the tin hat on it, Audi would have probably been the brand name used. Rather like Fiat uses one of its brands Ferrari, to front its massive GP investment.
Ferrari was in F1 before being owned by Fiat. I stand by my remark VW can not be returning just by buying a brand that was once upon a time involved in GP racing. F1 was born in 1946...
Technically true, the first F 1 race was Silverstone in 1950 actually. But people talk glibly about GP motor racing and F1 as practically the same nowadays. Rather like many think that first division football began in England with the Premier League. So many people tend to use F1 as a shorthand when they really mean GP motor racing. In fact the very term GP motor racing is rarely used today. So you can see how people can mislead themselves.
But GP motor racing goes back a lot further than F 1 and had a great history long before the F 1 world championship began. Many people would say the golden era was the thirties with the 750 Kilo formula, which had 6 litre supercharged engines in cars which would do 200 mph, and 250 mph in streamlined record breaking form. All this long before the modern era. Incidentally Enzo Ferrari was running the Maserati team then. Before he bought out their cars after the war and named the team after himself.
I don’t follow rallying but Skoda did have a rallying division and I think may still do. Before they were taken over by the VW group they had a sporting side too and raced cars at home under the communist government.
I bought a pre VW Skoda at an auction once when I was young. It was three years old and cost £40. I’m not joking the handbook said: Dear comrade thank you for buying a Skoda. When I went into a dealers to buy spares for it the bloke behind the counter said “oh one of them” and laughed.
I bought a pre VW Skoda at an auction once when I was young. It was three years old and cost £40. I’m not joking the handbook said: Dear comrade thank you for buying a Skoda. When I went into a dealers to buy spares for it the bloke behind the counter said “oh one of them” and laughed.
Indeed they did and were very successful, the Skoda 120 winning their class and team prizes in rallying many times. Here's their style pre VW:
It's a horrible motorsport moment when Colin McRae almost got Skoda their first WRC win in the Fabia but the team decided to make a cautionary gearbox change, mucked it up and McRae couldn't rejoin the race. I think Skoda are still running Fabias but in the lower categories at the moment.
VW are doing pretty well in motorsport at the moment with Audi taking the last few Le Mans wins and Porsche this year, the Polo has taken the WRC constructors again, the R8 GT3's have had some great results the last couple of years and in the MotoGP, Ducati have been far more competitive than they have been for years.
Apparently there is still talk of VW joining F1 but it seems unlikely given the amount of money they're going to lose over the emissions scandal. Plus they're going in two years behind the other manufacturers and the tight constraints of the requirements clearly make it difficult to produce a competitive, reliable, economic engine. While VW group do have a lot of current motorsport experience, time and time again similar companies have tried their hand at F1 and got nowhere.
John
VW are doing pretty well in motorsport at the moment with Audi taking the last few Le Mans wins and Porsche this year, the Polo has taken the WRC constructors again, the R8 GT3's have had some great results the last couple of years and in the MotoGP, Ducati have been far more competitive than they have been for years.
Apparently there is still talk of VW joining F1 but it seems unlikely given the amount of money they're going to lose over the emissions scandal. Plus they're going in two years behind the other manufacturers and the tight constraints of the requirements clearly make it difficult to produce a competitive, reliable, economic engine. While VW group do have a lot of current motorsport experience, time and time again similar companies have tried their hand at F1 and got nowhere.
John