The VW Group will enter Formula 1

The head of the Volkswagen Group has confirmed that their two luxury car brands will be represented in the world's most elite car competition in 2026.

Audi and Porsche, members of the Volkswagen Group, will become active participants in the Formula 1 World Championship in the 2026 season, the plan of the VW Group, which was publicly presented by their CEO Herbert Diess. 

He answered questions from Wolfsburg residents for a YouTube channel, and they asked him how far the concern is from being included in the most attractive car competition in the world.

Diess said he is aware that Formula 1 is experiencing a rise in popularity in markets such as the US and that his company will take advantage of the announced change in technical rules, which should take effect in 2026. 

Then, namely, the drive units of the car will be further simplified and more electrified, and the aerodynamic characteristics will be revised again, so this is the ideal time to develop the car completely "from scratch".

This could be the last chance in this decade for someone new to join Formula 1, Diess believes, and his brands Audi and Porsche could take advantage of it. 

If they were to join the sport in periods without major changes to the technical regulations, it would take them 5 to 10 years to catch up with the leaders. This way they hope they will need significantly less to get involved in the race to win.

The plan is for the Volkswagen name not to be mentioned within Formula 1, but to go only with the Audi and Porsche brands. 

Porsche is most strongly associated with Red Bull, for which it could produce powertrains, while Audi’s plan was to take over the British McLaren team for around € 500 million. That, at least for now, has been denied, but 2026 is still a long way off.

Diess also sees an opportunity to make money in everything and believes that, no matter how much it costs to enter Formula 1, it will bring the company more money than that.