IS VOLKSWAGEN ABOUT TO KILL FORMULA 1?

This may seem like a strange question considering they don't even compete in the top category of motorsport, but is Volkswagen about to kill Formula 1? Nolan from Donut Media gives us his view.

So, you may be wondering how this topic even appeared. Well, we'll tell you. It all started with Dieselgate, remember when Volkswagen got bust for installing cheat devices on their cars to fool regulators into believing they weren't severe polluters? That time.

After billions of dollars in losses and many VW employees and board members getting arrested, the German manufacturer decided to save face by diving, head-first, into electric power. Then, in late 2019, Volkswagen released a statement saying that they will be "focusing its motorsport strategy on e-mobility".

But, I hear you ask, what does VW have to do with F1? The short answer is nothing. But, they are involved in many other types of motorsport, from DTM to rally racing, through their subsidiary brands like Porsche, Audi, Skoda Lamborghini, Bentley and even Ducati.

Now, if those brands pull out of their respective motorsports, and "Volkswagen Motorsport...develop new motorsports concepts...", where will that leave competitors like Honda and Renault. Nolan suggests they wouldn't want to be left with egg on their faces by continuing to develop internal combustion engines for racing. The knock-on effect of that may relegate Formula 1 to a spec series, like Indycar.

There's more to it though, so I suggest you watch the video below and see if this is a compelling case to answer the question of, is VW about to kill formula 1.

Subscribe to SXdrv for more!