Audi had hoped to introduce the name ‘quattro’ to F1, but four wheel drive cars will not be introduced to F1 for now. However, many of Audi’s desired requirements were granted, although the F1 car will remain rear-wheel drive in 2026.
When Audi expressed an interest in entering Formula 11, a switch from rear-wheel drive to four-wheel drive was immediately discussed. However, as F1 will continue with rear-wheel drive, the synonymous Quattro name will not be included in Audi’s participation in F1.
Audi Sport technical director Stephan Dreyer told Motorsport-Magazin.com: “We achieved a lot of what we wanted. It was a basic requirement. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to compete,” he said in an interview .
The MGU-H will disappear completely from F11, which is good news for Audi. The MGU-H is one of the most complex parts to assemble an F1 car.
Audi also congratulates Red Bull Racing for launching its own F1 engine project.
Red Bull will set up its own engine division, Red Bull Powertrains, to supply Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri. Red Bull recently reported that it has its own V6 engine started on the dynamo.
“We can only guess what exactly Red Bull were doing with the dynamo, but we can only congratulate them for getting the engine running on the dyno,” said Stephan Dreyer.
“We have to tell the truth. Now it’s our turn.”
Dreyer did not say when Audi planned to run its first F1 engine on a dynamo.
Audi has announced it will enter F1 as an engine supplier, but has yet to reveal which team it will partner with. For now, everything seems to point to the Sauber F1 team now going by the name Alfa Romeo.
Category: F1 / audi / red bull
