Audi abandons Formula E for the Dakar, and soon the LMDh?

The Dakar will benefit from a new shock participant from 2022. Audi will develop a hybrid prototype for the most famous of rally-raids.

The powertrain will be electrified; in order to last along the stages of more than 500 kilometers, the energy will be supplied by a TFSI engine, direct injection and turbocharged. In other words, the roles between electric and thermal in a hybrid car as we know it today will be reversed.

The objective according to the Rings brand is to “Improve the performance of the electric powertrain and the battery in the years to come. The experience accumulated in this sports program should then be transferred to the development of electrified production vehicles. »

One electrical project chases another; in fact, Audi Sport is putting an end to its official program in Formula E at the end of the 2021 season. The German manufacturer was a pillar of the single-seater discipline from its introduction in autumn 2014, first through semi-private support for the Abt team, then on its own behalf.

In six years, Audi has become the most successful brand in FE with 43 podiums and 12 victories, but also the Drivers' title acquired in 2017 by Lucas di Grassi and the Teams' crown a year later.

The future of Audi Sport will therefore pass through the desert of Saudi Arabia, but perhaps also… Le Mans. At least, that's what the statements of the new boss, Julius Seebach, suggest at the end of the press release. “We are evaluating other possible areas of activity in international motorsport. In doing so, we have in mind our customers' wishes that the company's future strategy be clearly focused on electrification and carbon-neutral mobility.

This is why we are intensely preparing to enter the new LMDh category with its flagship races, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The most important message for our fans is that motorsport will continue to play an important role at Audi. »