Audi Was This Near Testing Le Mans Prototype When It Ditched the Undertaking for F1

Audi versus Porsche on the hallowed floor of the Mulsanne, as soon as extra. It was shaping as much as be one in all many storylines figuring to make the forthcoming period of sports activities automobile racing so thrilling. Each Volkswagen Group manufacturers have been engaged on their very own LMDh prototypes, which might have competed not solely with one another for total victory, but additionally equipment from the likes of Ferrari, Cadillac, BMW, Peugeot, Toyota, Alpine and Lamborghini. Porsche caught with its mission, even via the ups and downs of its failed bid to take over half of the Pink Bull System 1 group. Audi didn’t.

This week, nevertheless, we’re getting a clearer image of the state of Ingolstadt’s work main as much as its official cancellation in August, courtesy of Motorsport.com. The automobile was reportedly “weeks away” from testing on the time it was canned, in line with feedback made by Nico Muller, one of many group’s improvement drivers, to the publication:

Now it has emerged that Audi was at such a sophisticated stage with the successor to the R18 that the automobile would have accomplished its first check had the decision to desert the mission got here just a few weeks later.

“On the finish the automobile was able to go,” Muller revealed to Motorsport.com. “We labored rather a lot on the sim, every thing was prepared to enter correct on-track testing.

“It had been developed along with Porsche; it’s no secret that they shared the identical platform with Multimatic.

“Would I’ve liked to drive it? It was very shut, however the name got here just a few weeks too early.”

Like Porsche, Audi was fast to show round with a automobile prepared to check, maybe thanks partly to the LMDh class’s reliance on spec components and suppliers. Each Volkswagen manufacturers have been to make use of the identical V8, similar hybrid system and similar Multimatic chassis of their respective opponents.

In case there’s any doubt, the choice to enter System 1 through the Sauber route was in the end the nail within the coffin for the Le Mans bid, as Audi Sport’s Chris Reinke instructed it:

“Internally at Audi it has been determined to concentrate on System 1 and due to this fact for everyone who had perhaps an emotional hyperlink or a dedication to LMDh, that risk was shortened.”

It’s somewhat stunning that Audi took an both/or strategy to deciding which top-level racing class to compete in. By selecting the LMDh route — somewhat than constructing a costlier, extra bespoke Le Mans Hypercar as Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus have performed — the corporate was already saving cash to get onto the identical grid. Volkswagen additionally has loads of money to play with, evidenced by the truth that firm ‘s board didn’t appear to care that each Porsche and Audi needed to affix the identical two racing sequence on the similar time. Finally, Porsche will nonetheless have the privilege to do each, and has remained assured it would work out a option to break into F1 finally, a technique or one other. However then once more, Porsche is totally rolling in it proper now.