F1technical.net

Morteza wrote: ↑

27 Nov 2020, 13:25

https://twitter.com/fmasefield/status/1 ... 3137914881

Very detailed and interesting article

I find this a strange decision by Audi, the costs for Formula E have to be similar to the costs associated with the new LMDh class, which is basically the DPi model of buy a common chassis and bolt your own engine to it. The reach of Le Mans/Daytona can't be as far as Formula E outside motorsports folk, and moving back to a hybrid from a full electric can't be great for VWAG's image after their recent publicity issues. Unless VW are moving their entry to another one of their marques, or Formula E want one of the Korean OEMs involved along with Hankook?!

Audi pulling out of FE just to focus on Dakar and LMDh just shows that manufacturers aren't going electric racing only any time soon! So Formula 1 has no need to go fully electric just to attract new manufacturers...because it will just won't!

Audi's decision is even more baffling than Honda's! Why pull out of FE?? Cheap championship, electric cars to promote their brand better, winning every now and then against very big manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes and Porsche!

Can't really understand manufacturers' thinking anymore...it just doesn't make sense! They pulled out of Le Mans just 3 years ago...they now want to come back? What's the point? Why did they even bother to pull out in the first place?

AMG.Tzan wrote: ↑

01 Dec 2020, 01:11

Audi pulling out of FE just to focus on Dakar and LMDh just shows that manufacturers aren't going electric racing only any time soon! So Formula 1 has no need to go fully electric just to attract new manufacturers...because it will just won't!

F1 can´t go fully electric anycase, FE owns FIA rights for electric single seater racing.

It´s a strange decision indeed, but not sure if we can assume it means something else than just a manufacturer moving out of a racing category. If Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Renault, Citroen, Nissan, Nio, etc. are part of FE when F1 only attract a fraction of those manufacturers that´s a lot more relevant IMHO

And now BMW are leaving too

Right, this seems to be indicating things are dropping off in FE, so is it now time to consider a merger with F1?

Either to create a class to follow the F1 around or some sort of hybrid, in more than one meaning of the word.

Big Tea wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020, 21:01

Right, this seems to be indicating things are dropping off in FE, so is it now time to consider a merger with F1?

Either to create a class to follow the F1 around or some sort of hybrid, in more than one meaning of the word.

Or, more likely, OEM boards are seeing motorsport as an extravagance in a market hit hard by CoViD. If they don't feel it's helping sales. Car sales are struggling as OEMs, governments and consumers decide what technology is the future.

I'm more worried about Renault/Alpine's short term future in F1 than Formula E.

jjn9128 wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020, 21:28

Big Tea wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020, 21:01

Right, this seems to be indicating things are dropping off in FE, so is it now time to consider a merger with F1?

Either to create a class to follow the F1 around or some sort of hybrid, in more than one meaning of the word.

Or, more likely, OEM boards are seeing motorsport as an extravagance in a market hit hard by CoViD. If they don't feel it's helping sales. Car sales are struggling as OEMs, governments and consumers decide what technology is the future.

I'm more worried about Renault/Alpine's short term future in F1 than Formula E.

Yeh, looks like a shake up of some sort is coming.

Big Tea wrote: ↑

02 Dec 2020, 22:07

Yeh, looks like a shake up of some sort is coming.

I think the future of motorsport may be manufacturer-less (except maybe Ferrari), and I'm not sure I'm unhappy about that.

The entire global automobile industry is hurting because of the covid-19 pandemic. In the month of May, Renault posted historic loses of 7.3 billion euros. The Peugeot-Citroen & Renault -'Nissan car manufacturers received several billions of Euros help from the French government just to stay afloat. Same situation with big automakers elsewhere. This is the reason Audi & BMW are leaving FE.