Not interested
BMW back in Formula 1? Don’t count on it. According to BMW Motorsport boss, Formula 1 is not very progressive. That is why, according to him, it does not fit within BMW’s sporting ambitions.
BMW has been out of Formula 1 for over 13 years and is unlikely to return anytime soon. While close rivals Mercedes-Benz and from 2026 Audi will also participate, BMW sees no future in it. At least that is apparent from the words of BMW Motorsport CEO Andreas Roos.
He explains in conversation with Speed ​​cafe that Formula 1 is not exactly working on very progressive technology. “Formula 1 will go for (more, ed.) hybrid in 2026. They already have a hybrid system at the moment, but that has no relevance whatsoever. In 2026 they will switch to a system that you also see in cars, but that will not be until 2026 We are already participating in the WEC and IMSA championship next year with a hybrid system that is relevant for passenger cars,” said Roos.
According to Roos it is very simple; Formula 1 is too late. According to him, BMW can already apply relevant systems three years earlier in the other racing classes mentioned and that is what the manufacturer is about. Incidentally, according to Roos, there is something else that surprises him about Formula 1, namely the switch to sustainable fuel in 2026. “We already use that in car racing and F1 will not introduce it until 2026.”
BMW dropped out of Formula 1 after the disappointing 2009 season. It was then active with BMW Sauber F1 with its own V8 engines. Ironically, it is the same Sauber that will operate under the Audi banner from 2026. As an engine supplier, BMW was also active in F1 for many years. With the teams of Brabham and Benetton (1980s) and Williams (2000-2005), this resulted in some successes, with Nelson Piquet even winning a drivers’ world title in 1983.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl