Skoda (VW) and F1

[Crash and Burn]

Volkswagen are set to spring the biggest surprise of this still young Formula One season by announcing their appearance on the grid. The German car giants are believed to be behind the controversial purchase of the remnants of the bankrupt Prost team, with backing from Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw and even F1 controller Bernie Ecclestone himself, and VW, under the guise of their racing arm Skoda, could be racing as early as the Malaysian Grand Prix in a fortnight.
The sale of Prost's assets for a knockdown £1.5 million to British businessman Charles Nickelson caused anger among the other F1 teams, especially Minardi chief Paul Stoddart, who had to pay £21.4m for his outfit. Confirmation that VW are the power behind Nickelson's consortium would cause further outrage as it would deliver the German company their long-cherished ambition to join F1, at a bargain-basement price, and also give the new team a whole season of on-the-job testing for a concerted championship effort in 2003.

Ecclestone, a close personal friend of Volkswagen's future motor sport head, Bernd Pischetsrieder, is believed to have acted as the go-between in the deal. He has long been under pressure from the big car companies, who wanted to start their own championship, and VW's arrival in F1 would unite them under his reign.

Reports in Germany ahead of this morning's season-opening Australian Grand Prix said VW planned to put Walkinshaw's old Arrows engines into the 2001 Prost chassis in order to race in Malaysia, or possibly the Brazilian GP on 31 March. Although this bolt-together concern, which will be near Walkinshaw's Arrows base in Leafield, Oxfordshire, would have little chance, the new owner would avoid the £100,000 fine for not taking part in a race despite having a licence, and allow Volkswagen to test in an actual race. They would therefore steal a march on, for example, the new Toyota team, who have ploughed millions into developing their own new chassis and engine.

The new team's drivers are set to be Czech Thomas Enge, who raced for Prost in 2001, and Argentine Gaston Mazzacane, the former Minardi driver.

Pischetsrieder, who was a key figure in BMW's return to F1 before having to quit the Bavarian company over its disastrous purchase of Rover, has always sought a return to top-grade motor sport.

'Everybody knows that I have always been an F1 fan and I would love to own a team there one day,' he said. Pointedly, Volkswagen have also refused to discount the report of their purchase of Prost after denials of their imminent F1 entry in the past.

The prospect of a Skoda-branded car lining up on the F1 grid may raise some eyebrows , but since VW bought the Skoda Automotive Works in the Czech Republic in 1995, it has turned the company, founded in 1905, into a cash cow and a successful motorsport outfit.

The plant has been upgraded with new equipment and financial and organisational discipline have been instilled, and Skoda boast arguably the world's most modern car assembly plant with a staff of 900 engineers. Skoda have already produced rally-winning cars.

Pischetsrieder said recently: 'Even if we decided to do it today, we would lack a team.' For this reason, VW's initial idea was to supply a team with engines first, following the lines of their German rivals Mercedes and BMW, but the purchase of Prost will lead them straight to the grid in their own right.

[SJ Spode]

If this is true, I see them appearing under the VW or Audi brand names

[alesi95]

If this is true, I don't see them appearing this year.
But it sounds like wild fantasy to me.

[Maxmil]

Originally posted by alesi95
But it sounds like wild fantasy to me.

Ditto for me alesi95, it makes no sense at all. It is terrible PR for a big manufacturer to go into the French Bankruptcy Court, buy a few old chassis, parts and a design for a pittance and then use the starting rights to screw Stoddart out of the travel money which should be his if Prost fails to show. There are stories now beginning to appear (Formula1.com) reporting that Skoda has denied the whole thing.

[Martin de Miguel]

NO way, I am sorry and if was true, Skoda??????? I don´t thinks so, you never know but i don´t think so.

[Crank Case]

You know I read exactly the same thing in a paper while having my breakfast in a cafe this morning I meant to take note of the paper but forgot.
Later in the day I wasn't sure whether it was a dream or I had read it right or what, until I found this thread.
How can they possibly do this within two weeks?

[Crank Case]

From F1-live.com

Volkswagen does not intend to enter into Formula One

According to reports in the Observer on Sunday, Skoda, the Czech firm owned by the Volkswagen company, were making plans to enter Formula One. In fact the newspaper stated that Skoda could be on the grid as early as the Malaysian Grand Prix in two weeks time in its guise as the motor racing arm of its German parent company. This was because it was Volkswagen who were the power behind British businessman Charles Nickerson's Phoenix Finance acquisition of Prost Grand Prix. However Volkswagen have now denied these reports.

This is not the first time that reports have surfaced that the Germany company was keen on competing in Formula One, and most probably will not be the last. But once again Volkswagen have stated quite clearly that they will not be entering the sport now or any time in the near future, if at all.

[paul c]

If it adds any weight to the story, the BBC are carrying it on their website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/engli...00/1852766.stm

[Tristan]

I've heard about this too. I guess this rumour's plausible (well, as plausible as anything else that's been bandied around these past few weeks).

I must admit, I can see why Stoddart's a bit peeved. When you've just gone and spent $21m on your new team and Prost gets flogged for $1.5m and three magic beans it WOULD get on your tits.

I still stand by wanting to see as many teams as is possible on the grid, but if this deal does happen, I believe it's time for a CART-style points shake-up.

[Bibendum]

As an Audi driver, I'd be delighted to see this group represented on the grid. Mind you, I'm not eager to see the linked circles associated with a bolt-together Prost-leftover driven by hapless ol' Gaston the dog-killer, so I'd be just as glad to have Skoda get the initial burst of publicity!

However, one can only sympathise with Paul Stoddart. I think that, if Skoda -- or any other post-Prost variant -- does join the championship, they should do so in 12th place on the pit row and in the FIA funding hierarchy, and should pay the fine for non-appearance at the first race.

Other than that, the more the merrier; Skoda and VW can issue all the denials they like, but we're pretty used to hearing stern, unequivocal, incredulous, absolute, *repeated* denials of things that later turn out to be true, when all the principals are comfortable with their press releases, no?

[MrTTraces]

This is all interisting stuff...but using an old arrows engine??? Why?????? Alina Prost payed $12,000,000 for last yr Ferrari engine. The money is non refundable but the engines are still there available for use.

Im not claiming to be an expert or anything but the having the choice between a Ferrari or a Arrows engine i know what i'd prefer!!!!!!!

[Bibendum]

MrTTraces:

Apparently, Jean Todt flatly said nobody other than Sauber would be getting customer engines this year, so I suppose they're keeping well out of this mess!

[EERO]

As has been suggested on other threads, if this IS true, its a way for VW to grab a spot on the Concorde, quite cheaply, let TWR run the team and work toward developing a fulll fledged entry for 2003-2004 under the Audi, Lamborghini or Bugatti names. Skoda has little reputation to be damaged by an unproductive year running old Prost chassis with even older Arrows/Hart V10's. In no way is this meant to be a serious racing efort for 2002-its a way to snap up to places on the grid for a bargain price.

[Valve Bounce]

A spokesman for the company, Kurt Rippholz said: “We have already said it, but let us repeat it: Volkswagen does not intend to enter into Formula One.”

This was the last bit from yesterdays F1-Live that Crank Case didn't include.
I don't know whether VW are being coy until they figure out the force of opposition to their entry, or whether TW is just having fanciful ideas. I have sene reports that they intend to use last year's Asiatech engines cobbled to the Prost chassis.
My only view at this stage is that if there was an engine worse than Minardi's lump last year, Asiatech would have been it. As for the Prost, it had the whole running gear rear of the cockpit supposedly supplied by Ferrari. How anyone can cobble up the old Asiatech engine to a new unfinished Prost chassis, and expect to run it in Malaysia with Mazza and Enge is a total mystery to me. I have asked before, if the car is brought to the tracks and proves less than sufficient to qualify at any races (like the Lola of yore), would the FIA or FOCA kick them out?

[Tristan]

I think it SHOULD qualify. The chassis is all new, the only things that it would lack would be power and miles.

[Valve Bounce]

This schmozzle has been overtaken by events. TW's smart move wasn't that smart after all.

[Es Nes]

if this is true, that would be the most depressing news since toyota stoped racing the gt-one

[Valve Bounce]

Look, if VW wanted to entre F1, they would have to pay a helluva lot more than 2.8 million Euros. It's US$48 million up front, which they get back if tehy can field a team that is competitive. Not a cobbled together heap of junk.

[mickj]

twr did not buy Prost f1 for no reason.He has got something up his sleeve

[Marcel ten Caat]

TWR didn't buy the Prost GP assets. they 'only' give technical engineering support. But the whole idea of Phoenix Grand Prix is coming to an end already.

"He has bought nothing in Formula One," said Ecclestone. "All he has bought is some show cars. He can forget it. He is wasting his time thinking about racing in Malaysia."

They need 48 million dollars to be on the grid...doubt that Nickerson or Walkinshaw has that.

[Valve Bounce]

Tom Walkinshaw was involved up to his neck. Those who watched the extended telecasts of the day's races and interviews will have seen TW's interview on Telly, when, with a smirk, he accused Paul Stoddart of sour grapes.
Too bad he didn't know about my hex.

[everett brown]

VW and Audi will join F1 in due time. There is no way VW wouled have a thing to do with the now buried Prost F1, a utter and complete failure of a racing team. Pure gossip, pure national enquire headlines along with "woman gives birth to a two headed cat." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[RaceFreak]

Horse manure..... pure and simple.

All major manufacturers watch their competition closely before they enter a market; whether it's cars or merchandising (F1). Having seen Ford's disasterous entrance, they now watch Toyota set the standard for all manufacturers to come. Think VW or Audi will risk looking like the losers that Prost was; simply for a cheap entrance.... Would you do it if it were your buisness ?