Silly Season Doesn't Get Much Sillier Than This!

[MoFo]

Highly dubious article posted on Auto Express today: Audi will abandon WEC and DTM for F1; buy one of the Red Bull teams so they can debut in 2016.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/audi/89171 ... f1-in-2016

Worth reading just for the laughs.

[SanMarino]

An interesting article. Dubious - I agree. But what if?

[Zuff]

That actually makes a great deal of sense.
People wondered why Alonso waved off the start of Le Mans this year.
Perhaps he was there to have high level talks with Audi?
Audi have basically won enough at Le Mans now and it makes sense for the controlling VG to move them across to a new pasture to let Porsche have a clear run.
It also explains why Alonso is stalling on confirming his movements for 2015. He only wants 1 year at McLaren so he can then go to Audi F1. McLaren clearly want more.

Yeah, this stacks up!

[Starr]

I read today that the Audi deal would be with Sauber. Audi uses Sauber's wind tunnel for their Le Mans prototypes.

Here is a link (sorry it's written in Poruguese)

http://f1corradi.blogspot.pt/

Starr

[JamesB]

Makes some sense. Alonso-wise, it's not the dream deal he plans to win championships, but probably lots of money. Good that there'll be another string contender in F1, but then again at the cost of losing a middle-weak one.

[MoFo]

Yeah... no.

The AutoExpress article is Da Vinci code level nonsense. (Audi hired an Italian and employs an Austrian... Audi joins F1 by buying Red Bull = CONFIRMED!)

VAG may well like to take a stab at F1, and Audi are probably the most likely brand to do it... but there's zero chance they'll be on the grid in 2016 (Honda's engine has been public knowledge for what? two years?), and even less chance that they'll do it by buying out Red Bull, which is what the original story suggested.

...and from this article, the idea that Audi will enter F1 at ALL seems unlikely:

To whit: Audi denies reports that it is planning an F1 entry for 2016 http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116612

Audi has no plans to enter Formula 1 in the short-term.

Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi, denied press reports that the manufacturer is gearing up for an F1 entry in 2016.

"There is no decision that we are going in that direction," he told AUTOSPORT.

"Audi has a motorsport programme that at the moment is based on the World Endurance Championship and the DTM, and we are working on the cars for next season. There is no other programme."

Ullrich pointed out that former Ferrari F1 boss Stefano Domenicali's recruitment by Audi was unconnected with motorsport.

"Yes, he has joined Audi, but we haven't said yet what his job will be; no, he will not be involved in motorsport," he said.

Ullrich has repeatedly said during his tenure as head of Audi Sport, which dates back to 1993, that it is his job to evaluate all forms of motorsport.

Asked if Audi has aspirations to enter F1 in the longer term he replied: "There is nothing decided."

Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Sport

He explained that the new-for-2014 F1 regulations, which have a greater emphasis on hybrid technology, did not necessarily make an Audi entry any more likely than in the past.

NO TALKS WITH ALONSO

Ullrich also revealed that there had been no contact with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has been rumoured to be contemplating racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours should he, as now seems unlikely, take a sabbatical from F1 in 2015.

"Mr Alonso was in our pit at Le Mans this year [when he was honorary starter of the 24 Hours], and that is it - there is no contact," he said.

[BMW]

They could perhaps become an engine supplier ?
But in honesty, the way F1 has been going the last few years (or weeks!) I don't think VAG will be too keen to join.
We had a few main manufacturers a few years back (Toyota, Honda and BMW) and they all left. Only Mercedes and Ferrari remain

[generationx]

We had a few main manufacturers a few years back (Toyota, Honda and BMW) and they all left. Only Mercedes and Ferrari remain

And Renault. And Honda is back next year.

[drledford93]

I really don't see the reasoning why customer cars can't be feasible. Why would Audi not buy a car for next year and spend the next year or two to design its own (if it chooses to)? If Bernie wants the grid to grow, he is going to HAVE to do this. Most teams just don't have the budget to do that.

[Zuff]

Alonso has stated that when the moves are made public, they will seem obvious in hindsight. Clever words that can mean anything. I think he's actually enjoying all this cloak and dagger stuff.
As the old saying goes, there's no smoke without fire. Audi's appointment of Domenicali and the presence of Alonso in Audi's playground is just too much of a coincidence!