Audi Is Quitting The WEC To Focus On Formula E

The LMP1 category of the FIA World Endurance Championship has taken a big hit, with Audi confirming it will wave goodbye to the series at the end of the 2016 season.
As always with these stories, there have been a whole host of rumours surrounding Audiās involvement in the FIA WEC over the past few weeks, with some stating that the German manufacturer would pull out next year.
However, Audi has now made an announcement confirming it will completely cut its WEC programme at the end of this season, choosing to focus more on Formula E.

Audi won the WEC titles in 2012 and 2013 and has claimed 13 Le Mans victories in its 18-year involvement in the famous endurance race.
Audi is calling it quits with LMP1 to instead go for factory involvement with the Abt Schaeffler Formula E squad ā further proof of the all-electric series attracting the big motorsport names.

Interestingly though, Audiās DTM programme will be āuntouchedā ā itās one of three manufacturers competing in the tin-top series right now.
Hereās what the chairman of the board of management at Audi, Rupert Sadler, said on the decision:
āWeāre going to contest the race for the future on electric power. As our production cars are becoming increasingly electric, our motorsport cars, as Audiās technological spearheads, have to even more so.ā

And Audiās head of motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, added:
āAfter 18 years in prototype racing that were exceptionally successful for Audi, itās obviously extremely hard to leave. Audi Sport Team Joest shaped the WEC during this period like no other team. I would like to express my thanks to our squad, to Reinhold Joest and his team, to the drivers, partners and sponsors for this extremely successful cooperation. Itās been a great time!ā
Comments
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⦠It would be cool if Ferrari or McLaren could replace em :c
I hope so. It would be a huge hit to the sport if Porsche and Toyota were the only successful teams
Nooooo 😭
They are also potentially increasing their support within world RX, including a possible hybrid RX car!
Wish Audi was passionate about joining F1ā¦
Formula E is the new F1. I see FE being more cooler than F1.
To join in F1 requires 3x more than FE, which means Audi didnāt think of it because too expensive.
Well Porsche is back in lmp1 so to be honest, I donāt really Mind. Otherwise it wouldāve been VAG on 1st till 5th place with Toyota somewhere in the middle everytime
⦠Audi Retires from LMP1⦠and yet here i am, still waiting For Mazdaās Return to LeMans with a rotaryā¦
Rotary wont happen
I think the rotary was banned at that level of racing.
Booo, hiss!!!
Could be a dieselgate thing, Probably to help develop the new VW all electric roadcar.
I agree
It is. Itās an act of desperation, not the āfutureā as they say it is.
Pagination