Since former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking left Porsche, the sports-car maker is all about motorsports once again. Racing aficionados are elated about Porsche's return to Le Mans, where its V-4–powered 919 hybrid prototype will battle Audi's monster R18 e-tron Quattro and the Toyota TS040. But Porsche's showing in Le Mans means we are missing out on a performance in Formula 1, according to R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz in a report from Autosport.
Hatz said that the brand "would have had no alternative" but to enter Formula 1 if parent company Volkswagen had not given Porsche the green light for its return to Le Mans. "There were only two options: F1 or LMP," Hatz said, "but Le Mans is our second home." According to the manufacturer's head of research and development, Volkswagen could've chosen to block Porsche's Le Mans effort in an attempt to protect Audi, who's won 12 of the past 14 24-hour races at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
We're hardly surprised to see Porsche and Audi competing in Le Mans. Ever since Ferdinand Piëch became chairman of the Volkswagen Group, he has fostered competition between Group brands instead of avoiding it. Moreover, it's believed that Piëch is no friend of the immensely costly F1 circus, which is riddled with dubious and constantly evolving regulation.
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The great news is not only that Porsche is back in Le Mans, but the brand's level of commitment to motorsports has returned, too. More and deeper involvement in competition is inevitable as Porsche moves forward, it just may not be in Formula 1.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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