Cadillac’s deliberate entry into Formulation 1 provides additional worth to Audi’s personal mission that begins in full in 2026, in line with its CEO Gernot Döllner.
Audi is taking on the Sauber crew at the moment competing as Stake to have its personal works set-up from the beginning of the brand new laws in 12 months time. There’s set to be one other new crew becoming a member of on the similar stage with Basic Motors changing into the eleventh constructor on the grid – topic to receiving its official entry from the FIA – and Döllner says it’s an arrival that reinforces Audi’s personal place.
“Yeah, a brand new OEM is coming to affix Formulation 1,” Döllner mentioned. “It exhibits the strengths of Formulation 1 and that platform, and it’s a robust sign to have one other OEM within the lineup. And I believe competitors is what we want, and it’s simply including worth to our mission.”
Audi introduced further sources for its F1 mission although an funding from the Qatar Funding Authority (QIA) in November, with the deal coming into impact this month, and Döllner says there have been quite a lot of events eager to be concerned.
“We have been approached by loads of traders, so we didn’t actually have to begin a search. However one yr in the past, Qatar … they visited our Hinwil facility, [and] the powertrain unit, and from what they’ve seen there – professionalism, the strategic imaginative and prescient, the setup – they have been satisfied. From there on, we’ve been in constructive discussions and constructed that partnership.”
Döllner additionally believes the extra funding dropped at the desk by QIA reinforces Audi’s dedication to its F1 mission, and just like the Cadillac mission – that features funding from billionaire Mark Walter – exhibits it has the useful resource to finally problem on the entrance.
“Bringing on this sturdy accomplice is a mannequin loads of different groups have. And it’s, from our perspective, a essential step to turn into one of many prime groups sooner or later.
“At Audi, the mission is seen positively anyhow, and I believe it simply strengthens the message that we’re actually right into a long-term funding in Formulation 1. And it’s a capital injection to the mission, so it doesn’t scale back Audi’s dedication, it provides cash to the mission. So, it’s a robust sign.”
