$42 Billion Worth German Manufacturer Rejects the Rich Man’s Sport F1: “Definitely Not Interested”

As things stand, automobile manufacturers like Audi and Porsche are quite eager to join the F1 ranks in the near future. However, BMW is not interested in walking in the same footsteps as their German counterparts. It is worth mentioning that the luxury vehicles and motorcycles giant has already been a prominent part of the sport.

After operating as an engine manufacturer for many years, BMW bought Sauber and formed the BMW Sauber F1 Team for 2006. Not only that, but they finished 2nd in the constructors standing in 2007.

Unfortunately, a non-competitive car in the 2009 season, combined with the global financial recession, forced the team to sell it back to Peter Sauber. BMW has not returned to F1 ever since their omission.

According to reports, the $42 Billion Worth company was expected to buy a stake in McLaren, a rumor that first surfaced in 2017. However, BMW continues to steer clear of F1 and has dismissed any rumors suggesting a potential buyout in McLaren.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, told Motorsport-total.com, “We’re definitely not interested in that at the moment. I think you also have to be realistic. You have a very high investment in Formula 1. You have to be very successful for a very long time before it comes back.” (Translated using Google)

He further added, “We are therefore happy with the large bouquet of projects that we currently have in motorsport.”

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Furthermore, in a bid to push towards electrification, BMW is also building a Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) car that will compete in the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship from next year.

BMW’s current gap of 13 years without participating in F1 is their record longest time.

Ex-F1 driver Timo Glock leaves BMW

Timo Glock, the former Toyota F1 driver, has announced his departure from the German motorsport company BMW. After staying with BMW for 10 years, the 3-time podium winner has called it a day with the company. The final round of the Italian GT sprint series at Mugello this month will be his last race.

He shared this announcement via his Instagram post. He captioned the post, “Every end is a new beginning! Thank you BMW Motorsport, spending 10 years together around the world on the best race tracks you can dream of. I really enjoyed the intense time in DTM with those wonderful Class 1 cars and great wins and podiums.”

He also shared that one of the highlights of his time was the 24h race at Spa with Alex Zanardi, which he’ll never forget. The German driver also reminisced about the iconic battle against Gary Paffett at Hockenheim.

He concluded, “Now it is time to move on. A special thanks go to Jens Marquardt, who was the key person behind this journey. Thanks to all my BMW team-mates in those 10 years. Lots of stories to tell but maybe later… in a book. So I close my eyes to old ends and open my heart for new beginnings. See you soon, Timo.”

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With more new entries in F1 in the near future, the future of the sport looks promising. However, BMW still decides to maintain its distance from the pinnacle of motorsport. Do you think the German company should come back to Formula 1?