McLaren confirms talks with Audi: 'We're McLaren and that will remain'

Audi and Porsche will officially make their entry into Formula 1 in 2026. McLaren and Audi have indeed held talks about a possible partnership, but the sale of the British team has been emphatically ruled out.

It looks like Porsche is going to partner with Red Bull Racing, but Audi would like to develop its own power unit and run its own team. That means Audi would have to take over an existing F1 team. Several teams have already been linked to the brand, including McLaren. CEO Zak Brown has admitted that his team has had talks with Audi, but McLaren does not want to give up the team's name.

"Our shareholders are very committed to McLaren. We did have conversations with Audi, but we don’t have any interest in selling the racing team,” Brown is quoted by The Race.

"I don’t want to get too much into the details [about the Audi talks]. But we’re McLaren Formula 1 and that’s what we’re going to remain," the McLaren CEO says. So Audi will have to focus on another team. Lawrence Stroll recently admitted that Aston Martin is also in talks with Audi, but the brand is also said to be interested in Sauber.