FÓRMULA-1

Porsche built engine to compete in Formula 1 in 2021

The Volkswagen Group considered joining Formula 1 in 2021 and went on to manufacture an engine for the ultimate motorsport category. However, the scandal surrounding the brand in 2015 and F1's resistance to change the rules have made the German brand give up entering the category. The focus now is on electric cars, with the design for entry into Formula E next season in full swing. So says the head of the sports department of VW, Fritz Enzinger.
The return of Porsche to Formula 1 has been a recurring theme in recent years. The company has already had the name linked to Sauber, Red Bull and Williams, but the plans have not materialized for different reasons on several occasions.
Two years ago, the Volkswagen group was thrilled with the idea of ​​joining the category. They even highlighted a team of engineers to design a power unit worthy of F1. The engine even worked in the test center, but never took the last step. Fritz Enzinger, head of motorsport at the Volkswagen Group, said in an interview with Motorsport.com.
"In 2017, F1 gave signs that it would change the rules and that it would no longer be necessary to recover energy through the exhaust," Enzinger explained. "At the end of that year, we received a specific request from our parent company to build a highly efficient six-cylinder engine. And not just on paper, we should really assemble the drive. The idea was for this engine to be tested on the tracks in 2019. That's what they asked us to do. "
In the last meetings of the organizers and manufacturers of F1, it was clear that for the new regulation the engines will undergo few modifications, which caused Porsche to give up the project. Still, the unit was built. "The engine is complete and tested on the dynamometer," Enzinger said. "Now we are going to try to transfer the experience gained to the street cars."
There was also speculation about a cooperation between Porsche and Williams, with the German brand providing engines to the British, but the group denied the possibility. When F1 was still an option, the brand was more interested in the idea of ​​creating its own team or taking on one of the teams on the grid.
However, there is no chance of the brand entering Formula 1, much due to the scandal named "Dieselgate" (controversy in which it was discovered that VW outlawed the system of emission of pollutants in the US). "The case has been in the courts since 2015 and cost dearly to the company's coffers. Now the focus of Volkswagen is on electric cars. We are getting involved with Formula E with two of our brands (Audi and Porsche), "concluded Enzinger. Christian Nimmervoll