We all remember the report about McLaren’s acquisition from Audi that was quickly denied before it resurfaced last week. They say where there is smoke there is fire, and this is likely the case here since Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, admitted that the company had been in talks with Volkswagen Group.

More specifically, Zak Brown told Reuters: “I am hearing they are going to do something with Red Bull on the Porsche front.” referring to Volkswagen. Then he confirmed they had been in talks by saying: “I think they have spoken with a handful of people on the grid and as you would imagine we have had conversations but in the short term and medium term we are very happy where we are.”

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While admitting they talked, the team principal said that the two parties didn’t reach an agreement yet. He confirmed that Mercedes will remain McLaren’s engine supplier until the new powertrain regulations come into play in 2026. Then, he said they are going to “evaluate where we are and who is in the sport and take a decision on what we are going to do in 2026 in due course”.

Both Audi and Porsche are looking into entering Formula 1, starting from 2026. However, the final decision on whether both companies will enter will be taken by the Volkswagen Group’s supervisory board towards the end of February, as reported by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The rumors suggested that Audi would team with McLaren and Porsche would team with Red Bull. Although McLaren has a deal with Mercedes and Red Bull bought Honda’s intellectual property, both deals are valid up to 2026 which leaves the door open for VW Group.

Speaking about the upcoming F1 season, Zak Brown stated: “We head into the new Formula 1 season with a clear aim to build on the foundations of our recent progress. In the last three years, McLaren has enjoyed its best run of form for more than a decade. In 2021 we finished fourth in the FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, having amassed 275 points, just 48.5 points off third place, and comfortably ahead of fifth. But we are still early in our journey to return to the front. We remain ambitious and determined but realistic.”