Sergio Marchionne Reveals He Encouraged Volkswagen To Join Formula 1

If FCA CEO and Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne were to have things his way, the Formula One grid would be filled with the world’s leading automakers, creating a more attractive championship.

While recently speaking with Autosport, Marchionne revealed that he has encouraged both Volkswagen and General Motors to enter the world’s premiere open-wheeled racing championship.

“In spite of the problems Volkswagen is having, I have always encouraged the past managing director of Volkswagen to join F1. That such a large company was not in F1 was always very strange to me. I also encouraged General Motors, I always try to encourage all of them to join. That would be good for the sport, for them and for us”, he said.

For quite sometime however, there were reports the German automaker was considering entering the series as an engine supplier for Red Bull Racing. Of course, given Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal, there are slim to no chances for VW to enter F1 in the foreseeable future. .

Additionally, there was some talk that VW Group company Audi could enter Formula 1 after scaling back its endurance championship presence, but those reports also seem unlikely to materialize. Even Porsche has ruled out an F1 entrance – but that was expected, as it’s already fielding a large scale attack on the WEC.

Unless someone changes his mind, Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, McLaren, Honda and Renault will probably remain the only automakers to compete. Hopefully, one or even more of them will be able to challenge Mercedes’ dominance, making the sport less predictable and, thus, more interesting.