Audi dismisses F1 as "irrelevant"

Though rumors persist that one of the Volkswagen Group's brands could make the jump into Formula 1, Audi is adamant that it won't be the one to do so. According to the company's motorsport boss, F1 bears "no relevance to the road."

The German automaker most prominently races Le Mans Prototypes, like the new R18 TDI pictured above. Is that really so different from F1? Audi points out that over the course of a 24-hour race like Le Mans, just one of its cars covers more distance than an entire F1 season, its average speeds are 20 mph higher than in F1 and they use 42 percent less fuel in the process.

Audi has a strong racing pedigree that extends even beyond Le Mans, staking its name in rallying and touring cars, as well. Audi has brought many of its technologies from its motorsport program to its road cars, but according to this report, Audi sees little connection between grand prix racing and the development of its volume products. Hat tip to xcatchmyshadowx!