[Bazzer]

Hmm, interesting...

Audi Raises McLaren Offer to $718M to Enter Formula 1

Audi has reportedly raised its offer to buy a stake in McLaren’s Formula 1 unit from $495 million to $718 million, according to a report by Germany’s Automobilwoche.


McLaren and Audi are expected to sign a letter of intent, while a supervisory board will meet to discuss details of the deal later this month. 

Audi’s parent company Volkswagen AG expressed interest in acquiring McLaren last year as a way to tap into the booming Formula 1 business. Formula 1 reported $787 million in revenue in Q4 2021, a 62% increase year-over-year, with viewership reaching 1.55 billion last season. 

McLaren later called off a potential deal, deeming Volkswagen’s initial offer as too low. 

Volkswagen could separately acquire a stake in McLaren’s road car division, McLaren Automotive.
Porsche, one of Volkswagen’s 12 car companies and brands, is pursuing a partnership with Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing.
Volkswagen’s interest comes on the heels of a joint development project between McLaren and German carmaker BMW. McLaren and BMW signed a memorandum of understanding on March 24 that will see the two brands develop an architecture for electric sports cars. 

The agreement isn’t binding and could be voided with a deal between McLaren and Audi. 

That will be the end of McLaren standing any chance of winning, I have no faith in VW having the stomach for the F1 grind, they do well in lesser formulas but F1 is very hard.