Porsche to F1… and Dakar?

A crunch meeting at the end of November will decide if either Porsche or Audi head to Formula One to challenge Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz in 2013. Indeed, all of the Volkswagen Group brands are believed to be preparing their future motorsport plans for a decision by the board and Chairman, Dr Martin Winterkorn.

It is believed both Porsche and Audi are enthusiastic about building an LMP1 program for the Le Mans 24 Hour race, but 2013's move to four-cylinder, turbo-charged Formula One cars has also piqued their interest.

"We are looking in several directions, including towards F1," Porsche CEO, Matthias Müller, admitted last week.

"With the new engine rules it could be interesting in the future. Formula One is changing and getting cheaper and that makes it more interesting for us."

Much to the disappointment of the FIA, both Audi and Porsche have been conspicuously absent from Formula One despite dozens of overtures over the past two decades.

"We will get together with Volkswagen and Dr Winterkorn and we plan to have a round table to make a decision on the future of our motorsport program at the end of November," Müller said.

"Out of that, Formula One is a definite maybe. We are interested."

Audi insiders have admitted that a move into Formula One by one of the Volkswagen Group brands seems inevitable.

"It's a widely known secret that Wolfgang Hatz [the VW Group's vice-president of powertrains] was the driving force behind the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo engines for 2103," the Carsales Network's highly placed Audi source admitted.

"So we're all thinking there must be at least an engine under development and they've got one of us earmarked for Formula One."

Yet, while it is interested in Formula One, Porsche's heart remains with sports-car racing and Le Mans.

"LMP1 and Le Mans are possible. I am confident that we are able to build our own plans and decide for ourselves," Müller insisted.

"There are only two brands in the world that are known for Le Mans: Audi and Porsche. They are both very successful there and we have to negotiate what brand fits what best with what motorsport. We are historically strong there and Audi is very successful at Le Mans with its diesel cars.

"The question is: does the VW Group want two brands competing against each other at Le Mans?

"Porsche has a long tradition in motorsport. We now have to find a position that's an advantage over them inside the [Volkswagen Audi] Group," Müller stated.

Meantime, Porsche may also make a surprise comeback to off-road racing as soon as next year with a rally-raid version of the Cayenne.

New Porsche CEO Müller has admitted the brand is also keen to tackle the Dakar rally, now dominated by Volkswagen.

"If Volkswagen wins the Dakar again this year that will be three in a row and the job for them will be done and they will probably stop," he said.

"It could be possible for Porsche to move there. We have the Cayenne, and it's a good fit."

Müller warned not to expect a fully fledged factory team, though, explaining that Porsche was planning to replicate its 911 customer racing programs in the rally-raid arena with a dedicated off-road Cayenne program.

"We have no plans to enter as a factory team," Mr Müller admitted. "But Porsche is very successful at customer motor sports and that's how we would approach it.

"No other brand can organize it like we do and we earn a lot of money with motor sport and the business is interesting. We could imagine that with off road, too…"

"We expanded our road-car range beyond just having the 911 and we are planning to expand beyond the 911 in motorsports with a motorsport version of the Cayenne."

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