I think LH would need a style makeover to be allowed anywhere near Maranello.

They’d tolerate it if he was winning. Enzo on the other hand….

Anyone done Abu Dhabi? Planning a trip and am looking for hotels, probably not on Yas Island though…

Talk about VW entering F1 (again! 🙂 )

Pitpass

Damn – was hoping it was going to be due to somebody else leaving

Just wait a bit, Father time wait waits for no man…

boblo – I reckon squinty would try to pay his way out of that too. 100M for fraud, 10B for the grim reaper…

Given that VW’s portfolio includes at least four brands that would love some of the marketing cachet that goes with being an F1 engine supplier, I’d be disappointed to see Audi branding on the cam covers of a VW F1 engine.

Given that VW’s portfolio includes at least four brands that would love some of the marketing cachet

Erm, Skoda F1? That would be disappointing.

It’s most likely to be Audi so they could trumpet all the Le Mans wins if they got anywhere.

I can’t see Bentley being a marketing triumph; nor VW being ‘sporty’ enough.

Aren’t you forgetting Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche being brands they can use?

Skoda F1

Marketing brilliance if they win.

Trumpet all the Audi wins at Le Mans, while showing that Ferrai and Mercedes aren’t as good as a Skoda.

Fantastic trashing of other people’s brands.

If they win.

It’d be Porsche though wouldn’t it?

TBH – they could enter and compete as the VAG Group with brands allover it. Take over from the drinks company and immediately cut out the whinging ****.

It would be which ever brand they can make most profit off within in the Middle /Eastern hemisphere shirley?

run the skoda / seat feeder team to the VAG F1! Looks like they might make an entrance after all.

Aren’t you forgetting Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche…?

Not a bit; but I can’t see how potential Bugatti or Lambo owners would have their heads turned by an entry to F1.

Porsche have their own (very successful) race series; what do they gain?

But anyone who might get tingly at the thought of a Seat F1 car may just go and buy a Leon.

They hope.

I can’t see how potential Bugatti or Lambo owners would have their heads turned by an entry to F1

I get your point, but with the demise of the Veyron, it may well make sense for Bugatti to mirror something like the McLaren F1 / road car link. VW comments on where they see the brand as being at the top of the performance tree and with hybrid technology don’t make it a daft notion.

igm – Member

It’d be Porsche though wouldn’t it?

Porsche have stated on numerous occasions that they prefer to go GT racing as it has more relevance to their road cars than F1. I suppose as both sports veer further into prototype territory the distinction might become irrelevant.

ScottChegg

I can’t see how potential Bugatti or Lambo owners would have their heads turned by an entry to F1.

Lamborghini have dabbled with F1 recently, Bugatti have extensive motosports heritage. If either returned to F1 it would be a very big deal. If they were successful it would be huge for either brand. Assuming that’s the way VAG wanted to go with the brand. Success in F1 isn’t about selling cars next week.

As much as I’d like it to be Bugatti (assuming it isn’t all just baseless rumours), it surely has to be either Audi or Porsche. It can’t make sense for VAG to run both of those in WEC as well as a F1 campaign, and presumably those are the brands they prefer to have running in high level motorsport.

I’d be disappointed to see Audi branding on the cam covers of a VW F1 engine.

Audi branding on an F1 car, how awful

I’d be disappointed to see Audi branding on the cam covers of a VW F1 engine.

To respond to aracer, while there’s history with Audi and Grand Prix (but not Formula One, remember), the success and nostalgia bar would be set very high indeed…plus, I’m not mad keen on Audi as a brand.

Lamborghini and Porsche respectively have more recent F1 experience, the latter being a bit of a damp squib back in 1991 with Footwork, nee Arrows. Lamborghini very nearly bagged a partnership with McLaren at the tail end of 1993, but Ron Dennis was lured away by a deal with Peugeot…

If they wish to showcase their hybrid technology, then it would make sense for VW branding on the cam covers.

A damp squib? Maybe the 90s return but in the 80s thr TAG engine was originally developed by Porsche and carried their branding for a while, and that did OK I think. Well if you count race wins and world championship victories as doing OK

It would almost certainly be Audi. Porsche and VW are already established brand leaders in their respective fields all over the world, whereas Audi are (in most markets) third to Mercedes and BMW. As such, VAG seem to be placing heavy emphasis on marketing the AUDI brand (starring roles in almost EVERY Hollywood production) as it has the greatest potential for expansion.

BMW and Mercedes currently hold around 40% of the US luxury market, with AUDI at around 10%, by stealing only 5% from each of BM and Merc, AUDI could double their US sales.

It’s going to be all about the numbers and the potential for increased sales. Heritage and prestige will have NOTHING to do with it.

@daffy has hit it on the head.

if VAG decide to return
IF!

meanwhile still now LH contract…. if it was all about more money perhaps it would be nice to see Merc simply say “no” and hire a young F4 star with a famous dad….
😉

Apparently not

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/32506081

Thats an ‘unamed’ Audi spokesman speaking to the beeb.

Its not the VW board.

Not sure if it rules out there other brands, either

Interesting update by the reliably-fantastic Nigel Roebuck on Martin Whitmarsh.

Linky

Agreed, that was a great article. I’ll definitely be following Nigel Roebuck from now on..

Think it’s fair to say that the new McLaren livery is a tad underwhelming:

They don’t make it easy being one of their fans. CHUCK US A BONE FOR GAWD SAKE!

They only did this redesign because the plain chrome didn’t look great on camera – it’s just a stop gap isn’t it until they get a proper sponsor (or should that be if they do…)

FWIW, I prefer it to the previous 2015 design but it’s still pretty uninspired.

Would be better with less red – just too many ‘swoopy’ bits…

Oh… er.. hadn’t seen the overhead view. That’s really not good, is it (though to be fair, you don’t get many overhead shots in the races)

They did well to get a sponsor called ‘McLaren’! What are the chances, eh? 😉

They misspelt ‘Maclaren’.

Hi-res pics…

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/05/06/new-mclaren-livery-for-spanish-grand-prix-revealed/

Think they employed Hispania’s old graphic designer?

You would think McLaren had more pressing matters that the colour of the paintwork at the moment.

How about getting to the finishing line?

Crazy I know but I’ve heard that the guys who design the livery aren’t the same as the ones who design the car/engine so they managed to come up with the new colour scheme while the others worked to improve the car.

I suppose that the livery guys could help out on the engine but I suspect that painting it black and adding some red flashes (and maybe a pie chart or two) probably wouldn’t solve the engine issues.

Separately, is the awful Honda reliability due to a sneaky but clever strategy to design the engine with no compromises for reliability knowing that the rules allow the engine to be freely updated for reliability reasons – eg playing the rules, accepting a crap start to the season but knowing that unlike Renault for example, once they sort reliability, they should have a good engine?

So , i guess now we’ll see if there is team orders at Merc about Pole Sitter gets race win….

once again Lewis has no contract –

nice to see the McLarens with the new revised package and “turned up Honda engine” competing in the top 10 – oh no wait………………..