These factors persuaded Audi to enter F1

F1 experiences growth

F1 has been working on making the sport more sustainable for some time. Currently, there are ten teams in F1 and four engine manufacturers. A fairly large pool, but the moment two big brands would stop, the sport would immediately have a problem. It did not help that the previous car and engine regulations were not attractive to new parties, as the whole Honda saga showed.

For F1 it was, therefore, necessary to make both the cars and the engines cheaper. To this end, the regulations of the cars were made simpler and a budget cap was introduced. This way, teams simply cannot spend more than the set amount.

However, the new car alone was not enough for potential entrants, as in 2022 we will not see a single new team on the grid. In 2026 we do get two new names with Porsche and Audi and that is mainly due to the new engine regulations that have been announced. These make the engine cheaper to produce (due to the disappearance of the MGU-H) and also introduce a budget cap for engine manufacturers.

Audi bites the bullet

Although the Volkswagen Group had hoped for a completely different engine (but logically the current manufacturers were not waiting for that after years of investment), it is also happy with the points that have now been implemented by the FIA. With the official announcement of the regulations, nothing stood in the way of Audi entering the race.

In that respect, Audi has everything it wants. It can run a team without having to throw money around endlessly, it can build an engine that is cheaper and easier to develop and also as an engine manufacturer there is a limit to what can be spent. This has made it very easy for Audi to be a name on a car in F1 for the first time.