F1 is an option, says Audi

LONDON: Formula One remained an option for Audi, the German carmaker’s chief executive Rupert Stadler said yesterday amid speculation about a partnership with Red Bull.

He told Britain’s Auto Express magazine website that “in life you must keep things open”.

“We’re well stuffed with successful motorsport projects. But with F1, wait and see. It’s an option for Audi. Not at this moment, perhaps. But it is still an option.”

Speculation about whether Audi might be tempted into Formula One has intensified now that Ferdinand Piech, who was against it, has quit as chairman of parent company Volkswagen.

Audi last year recruited former Ferrari F1 team principal Stefano Domenicali, but not for an obvious motorsport role. They also made clear that the focus remained on Le Mans and the German Touring Car series.

However, the return of Audi stablemate Porsche to Le Mans as a works team, and Red Bull’s fraught relationship with engine partner Renault, has left people wondering whether a repositioning of brands is in the offing.

Yesterday Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, who is close to company owner Dietrich Mateschitz, sent what sounded like an open invitation to Audi.

“If we don’t have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out,” the Austrian said.

Red Bull have a contractual agreement to stay in Formula One until 2020, while their Renault contract runs until at least the end of next year. – Reuters