The Times - UK (2022-04-09)

Volkswagen has confirmed that it plans
to enter two of its brands, Audi and
Porsche, into Formula One from 2026.
The news is a huge boon to the sport
— the involvement of a manufacturer
of this size and stature will help to grow
further the sport’s popularity.
The likelihood is that Volkswagen
will not expand the field from the
present crop of ten teams, but will
instead look to partner with existing
teams as an engine supplier. The reason
Volkswagen is aiming for 2026 is
because that is when new engine
regulations are due to come in.
Making an official statement on its
intent to join the sport, which depends
on the new regulations, will give Volks-
wagen a voice at the table when the new
rules are discussed.
The company’s entry would create
more competition on the grid, as there
are at present only three long-term
engine suppliers: Mercedes, Renault
and Ferrari. Traditionally, only those
works teams — which use their own

the times | Saturday April 9 2022 1GS 19

THEDEBATE

After a wide-ranging piece by Steve James, Times readers

debated the structure of the County Championship

There are no longer enough good players

in the championship, given that central

contracts prevent England players from

playing. If the highest-standard player on

view is an England second XI player, or,

with very few exceptions, an overseas

player on a short-term contract, it is not

surprising that good Test players are not

being produced.

Philip Albery

An excellent defence of maintaining 18

county teams. But a first division of ten is

too many. Three divisions of six with each

team playing ten games (five home, five

away) would focus talent at the top and

remove the need to play in April.

Frank McLeod

The issue is one of concentration of talent.

With 18 counties, there will be one

(perhaps two) truly international-standard

bowlers in a county team. This does not

create the consistency of challenge or

intensity that batsmen need to experience

if they are to face Pat Cummins, Josh

Hazelwood, et al in Test cricket. For first-

class cricket, ten maximum, although six

would be ideal, and the others become

‘feeders’.

Groundhog

England’s struggling

Test team have won

only once in their

past 17 Test matches

1

The volume

of cricket we

play in the

county game,

and now with

the Hundred,

it’s probably

unsustainable

Rory Burns

Reducing the

number of

counties

would be

short-sighted.

England are

not losing

because

Derbyshire

are in the

championship

Mickey Arthur

What next?

After the start of the

County Championship

this week, the season

is building towards

England’s opening

Test match of the

summer, against New

Zealand on June 2

County cricket

bimbles along

tolerating widespread

mediocrity: “dibbly” bowlers

and pretty batters who are

never going to pull up any

trees. The gulf between

the “elite” and the lower

reaches is massive, with

nobody pushing up

from below. The future

should be eight to ten

franchises based at the

Test grounds with 1st XI,

2nd XI, Ladies and Junior

teams for red and white-

ball cricket.

SJR2020

Volkswagen to provide engines from 2026

Rebecca Clancy

engines — have won championships,

with customer teams — which use

engines supplied by another manufac-

turer — fighting in the midfield.

One exception was Red Bull, when

they partnered with Renault to win

both the drivers’ and constructors’

championships between 2010 and 2013,

though they were in effect a works

team, as it was before the French manu-

facturer entered their own team.

Red Bull are heavily rumoured to be

involved with Volkswagen’s entry.

Volkswagen has not worked in F1

before but has teamed up with Red Bull

in the World Rally Championship. This

season Red Bull have taken on the

Honda engine project after the Japa-

nese manufacturer pulled out of the

sport, and it is now believed that they

will team up with Porsche.

Audi was understood to be close to a

deal with McLaren, who run Mercedes

engines, though both sides have denied

this. McLaren have flitted between

engine providers in recent years,

including Honda and Renault, before

teaming up with Mercedes, and a long-

term deal would suit the Woking-based

team. Williams, Aston Martin and

Sauber have also been linked with a

potential tie-up with Audi.

“The management and supervisory

boards of Volkswagen AG, Porsche AG

and Audi AG have confirmed plans for

a possible entry into Formula One by

the two brands,” a Volkswagen state-

ment read. “We have not yet made a

decision as we are in the final evalua-

tion phase. At this point, the new regu-

lations for 2026 and subsequent years

are not yet available.

“These will set out far-reaching

changes to make the sport more sus-

tainable, which is a prerequisite for

Audi’s possible entry. Audi Sport is

discussing these matters directly with

the Fédération Internationale de l’Au-

tomobile [FIA, the sport’s governing

body]. Our decision will be announced

as soon as it has been made.”

Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton wel-

comed the idea of more manufacturers

in the sport. “I think it’s great, especially

as you see there are several teams who

have potential to be top teams but are

customer teams, so I think it’s going to

be great moving forwards.”

Yes, I don’t disagree with this in terms of

the Championship, but in white-ball cricket

we can field a third team that beat

Pakistan last year, so the challenge is to

get the red-ball set up to the same level.

Steve James

Yes, fair point, but the worry with three

divisions is that the teams in the bottom

division would just neglect Championship

cricket and concentrate on white-ball stuff.

That has happened before to an extent.

Steve James

What would happen to the other eight or

12 then, though? And how would you

determine the ten or six?

Steve James

I can’t believe we need the Hundred. It

seems madness to have introduced a new

format which takes cricket away from its

core structures. T20 has the benefit of

having six-ball overs which keeps it

consistent with every other form of the

game. Surely we could have made a

franchised T20 competition work? I’d

also have preferred to keep the

three conferences of six, which

keeps interest for more teams

further into the season.

Ian Hiscock

WILLIAM WEST/AFP/GETTY IMAGES