24/05/2011
NEWS STORY
Audi's motorsport boss dismisses talk of his company entering F1, claiming that the series is not relevant to the road.
For as long as anyone can remember, Audi, and the various other manufacturers that form the Volkswagen Group, have been linked with F1, particularly as the sport attempts to adopt a more environmentally aware stance. However, speaking to Car Magazine, the company's motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich has said Audi simply isn't interested in the series.
"There's a very good reason why we are not in F1," he said. "There's no relevance to the road.
"Audi has always been engaged in motorsport that's relevant to our customers such as rallying and touring cars, which brought Quattro, FSI and TFSI to our road cars," he continued. "This is why in 1999 we decided against F1. Instead we decided to take on the greatest race in the world. We went for Le Mans."
As if to rub salt in the wound, he continued: "At Le Mans, one of our cars will cover 325 miles more than an F1 car will cover in an entire season, our average speed including pits stops will be 20 mph higher than an F1 car and we will use 42% less fuel. You cannot argue with those figures.
"Our goal is track to road technology," he added. "The best proof of technology is success in motorsport. Lightweight construction, downsized engines and greater economy - they are as relevant for the road as they are for the track."