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With the costs of competing in Formula 1 dropping, there may soon be another new competitor. The Volkswagen Group is looking at possibly expanding its motorsports activities to include Formula 1.
For the 2010 season, there are four new Formula 1 teams thattook advantage of thedropping costs, but VW has not confirmed what year the automotive giant will enter Formula 1 if it decides to build a team. Reinhold Carl, managing director of Audi Singapore, told Singapore news site the Straits Times that it still costs well over €100 million per year ($148 million) to operate a Formula 1 team.
“If the cost is lower, it will be more manageable,” Carl told the Straits Times.
With the recent sale of BMW’s Formula 1 team, and rumors both Toyota and Renault are considering pulling out of the sport after the current season, grid spots may be opening up. The major manufacturers leaving also back up Carl’s admission that little is gained by being a major manufacturer racing in Formula 1.
If and when VW enters Formula 1, Carl said the team would likely be under the Audi, Porsche, or Volkswagen names, three of Volkswagen’s more well-known global brands that might actually gain from joining the sport.
Source: F1-Live
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