Why did Porsche prefer Endurance racing to Formula 1?
As the possibility of a return of Honda and Toyota as engine suppliers is being discussed, potentially in the near future, Wolfgang Hatz, director of Porsche's R&D department, explains the reasons that led the Stuttgart firm to prefer Endurance racing over Formula 1.
In 2014, Porsche will make its grand return to Le Mans in the top category: LMP1. Before that, the Stuttgart manufacturer had been the subject of rumors suggesting a possible interest in Formula 1, where the team counts 31 Grand Prix – including one victory – to its name as a full constructor, and an aborted comeback attempt as an engine supplier with Footwork in 1991, following the glorious TAG saga of the 1980s.
However, at a time when the introduction of a new engine from 2014 might motivate the return of Honda and, possibly, Toyota – via Lexus -, the manufacturer, affiliated with Audi, does not regret having chosen the World Endurance Championship over Formula 1: Porsche has always thrived on the technology transfer between racing and production cars, explains Wolfgang Hatz, head of the Research and Development department at the Stuttgart-based manufacturer. For this reason, it was clear, two or three years ago, that we needed to return to the top tier of motorsport, and it was a matter of choosing between Endurance and Formula 1. But the final decision [to go to Endurance, editor’s note] was the only logical one. Formula 1 was an alternative, but there is no link to road cars. There is also a lot of publicity around politics and tires but not so much around the engines and chassis. The aerodynamics are also incredible but so extreme that there can’t be any interest in our understanding of production cars.
A speech that in itself is nothing really new, as it echoes the statements of the famous Dr. Ullrich, head of competition at Audi, in the pages of *Car Magazine*, in May 2011: « There is a good reason why Audi is not in Formula 1. There is no connection to the road. Audi has always been involved in competitions that were of interest to our customers, such as rally or touring, which have brought technologies like Quattro or FSI and TFSI to our road cars. That’s why in 1999, we decided not to go into Formula 1. Instead, we decided to take part in the biggest race in the world. We went to Le Mans. […] At Le Mans, our car covers 500 kilometers more than a Formula 1 car over the entire season, our average speed, including stops, is 30 km/h higher than that of a Formula 1 car, and we use 42% less fuel. You can’t argue with the numbers. »
