Volkswagen Thinks About Becoming F1 Engine Supplier in 2012

There have been a lot of rumours lately about Volkswagen become a Formula 1 engine supplier for the 2012 season.

Hans-Joachim Stuck, VW’s motorsports head, said with the way F1 engine regulations are going — especially with costs and the potential of the “world engine” — it could be the perfect opportunity for VW to start pumping out powerplants.

While future F1 regulations are still undefined, and VW’s eventual entry into the series is by no means guaranteed,it’s clear that VW’s looking for ways to show off its engineering chops and get its name onto tracks.

Interestingly, the very conditions that Stuck sees as favorable for VW’s entry are the ones that a number of F1 teams and fans are, at best, ambivalent about: substantially lower costs, spec engines, and more than 24 teams on the grid. With a new FIA president, what F1 is going to look like after 2012 is almost completely unknown.