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Porsche both built and tested an engine for the 2021 Formula 1 season before its interest in joining the world championship evaporated.
With new technical regulations set to be introduced in just under two years' time, a number of leading car manufacturers showed interest in joining F1 in some form, including Porsche.
Porsche will join the Formula E championship for the 2019-20 season, opting for the all-electric series when parent Volkswagen Audi Group cancelled its venture in the World Endurance Championship.
Fritz Enzinger, Porsche's head of motorsport, told Autosport: "In 2017 there were signals from Formula 1 that the regulations were to be changed and that energy recovery from the exhaust gases was no longer required," he said.
"As of 2017, Porsche was a member of the FIA Manufacturers Commission and was involved in the discussions about the future drive strategy in Formula 1 from 2021 and represented at the meetings.
"On the one hand, we took part in these working groups. On the other hand, the guys developed a six-cylinder for the WEC in parallel.
"Of course, we thought about what would have to change if the engine were to be used in Formula 1. Such things can be done in two ways."
With talks of F1 getting rid of the MGU-H for the 2021 season, Enzinger said that developing the engine was an "interesting" concept for a super sports car.
"At the end of 2017, we received a concrete order from our parent company to further develop a highly efficient six-cylinder engine, despite its LMP1 withdrawal," he said.
"Not only on paper but actually as hardware and with the idea that this engine will be put to the test in 2019. That was the order from the board to us."
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
Replies (4)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Why do that when the interest was no doubt remote and the cost is skyhigh? I'm kinda unsure on how true this is.
f1ski
Posts: 726
perhaps as leverage to push f1 into creating regulations where all could compete on a more level field. Porsche won't enter only to be dominated by Mercedes
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
That could've been, but remember that we are in an era after dieselgate, and VW is already bleeding money due to that particular scheme. They cannot afford throwing money on projects that might just crumble into thin diesel particles.
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
It's kind of sad if true but not too surprising. Look at all the manufacturers jumping into FormulaE while it's only the old established die hard petrol car companies that find the sport appealing. An engine manufacturer getting into F1 at this point is kind of like jumping on the back of a dinosaur to take a ride into the future. For car manufacturers, but there might be some independent engine manufacturers that want to jump in recognizing it has a short-lived market future.