Audi and Williams possibly around the table: 'That's interesting for every team'

Williams is interested in entering the conversation with Audi. McLaren kept the door closed on a sale, but that is not the case with the Grove-based team.

Porsche and Red Bull

Although the engine for 2026 has not yet been decided in detail, Audi and Porsche have already made their commitment to enter Formula 1 in 2026. Porsche is said to be close to partnering with Red Bull Racing, but Audi is not that far off. The German brand would prefer to buy a team, but not all teams are lining up for that.

Starting a new team in F1 costs a lot of time and money and the Volkswagen Group is not willing to invest that. Porsche therefore wants to enter into a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains, for which a whole factory is already set up in Milton Keynes, people have been hired and the knowledge about the competitive Honda engine is in house.

Where does Audi go from here?

Audi is taking a different approach, however, and wants to have a greater input within a team. For a long time the team was linked to McLaren, but the illustrious team refuses to accept Audi's takeover offer. McLaren is not for sale, as Zak Brown already announced and so Audi is looking further. Williams and Alfa Romeo would be in the picture.

''It's interesting for any team to enter into a partnership with a car manufacturer. If it is official (that Audi is stepping into F1), then we will also hold talks. However, right now there is no final 'go' and the engine rules are not yet definitively established. To my knowledge, the VW Group's decision is also tied to those new engine rules,'' Jost Capito said to F1-insider.com.

Whether Williams would be open to a sale also remains to be seen. The team of Frank Williams continued to drive under the name of the former founder after the Dorilton Capital takeover and is pumping a lot of money into the team to grow. So how much influence the current owners want to give Audi remains to be seen.