2022 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[aMessageToCharlie]

I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I actually find the idea of VW Group buying the entire McLaren company and entering F1 as McLaren Audi very appealing.

Though as an Audi driving McLaren fan, maybe I'm a little bit biased

I don’t, the Volkswagen group is rotten to the core (Porsche excepted), they blatantly cheated their emissions compliance likely resulting in millions of premature deaths from diesel particulates, just to make a few extra dollars per car.

That's every industry and almost every company in the world. VW have just been made an example of that's easy to grab for people.

[djos]

VW group was caught doing it on an unprecedented scale, 35 times the legal limits to be precise.

[mclaren111]

I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I actually find the idea of VW Group buying the entire McLaren company and entering F1 as McLaren Audi very appealing.

Though as an Audi driving McLaren fan, maybe I'm a little bit biased

I don’t, the Volkswagen group is rotten to the core (Porsche excepted), they blatantly cheated their emissions compliance likely resulting in millions of premature deaths from diesel particulates, just to make a few extra dollars per car.

That's every industry and almost every company in the world. VW have just been made an example of that's easy to grab for people.

True... All the Big Automakers are Greedy & Corrupt...

[Ground Effect]

All I ask is that the McLaren name/identity/heritage remain. It would be awful if the deal goes through and there’s a change in the name. I like how Zak’s management has leveraged on McLaren’s history and theme. There’s more homage being paid to Bruce, the papaya history. I just like the direction that they’re going in. There’s a recognition that McLaren fans all over are from different generations and eras.

[Lucky]

VW group was caught doing it on an unprecedented scale, 35 times the legal limits to be precise.

[mclaren111]

All I ask is that the McLaren name/identity/heritage remain. It would be awful if the deal goes through and there’s a change in the name. I like how Zak’s management has leveraged on McLaren’s history and theme. There’s more homage being paid to Bruce, the papaya history. I just like the direction that they’re going in. There’s a recognition that McLaren fans all over are from different generations and eras.

Well Said Sir... Agree 100%

[torpor]

I think it would be good for McLaren Technology Group F1 team to become a member of Volkswagen group like Porsche is – way more reputable and likable than being owned by Bahrain dictatorship.
But in my opinion the McLaren car brand and the F1 team should remain as independent as possible and not being associated with Audi.
Audi is just a badge engineering brand selling large-scale production VW cars to clueless people thinking Audi is something comparable to Mercedes-Benz and BMW...

[genarro]

All I ask is that the McLaren name/identity/heritage remain. It would be awful if the deal goes through and there’s a change in the name. I like how Zak’s management has leveraged on McLaren’s history and theme. There’s more homage being paid to Bruce, the papaya history. I just like the direction that they’re going in. There’s a recognition that McLaren fans all over are from different generations and eras.

Well Said Sir... Agree 100%

Why would Audi pay 800 mil pounds just to change the McLaren name to audi. It doesn't make sense. The Mclaren brand is so strong. They can use the same amount of money and develop 35 new supercar models. When VAG group bought other brands they never changed any name of the brands (škoda, seat, bugatti, lamborghini,...) The McLaren Audi name would be just fine. Just look at Honda.

[SmallSoldier]

All I ask is that the McLaren name/identity/heritage remain. It would be awful if the deal goes through and there’s a change in the name. I like how Zak’s management has leveraged on McLaren’s history and theme. There’s more homage being paid to Bruce, the papaya history. I just like the direction that they’re going in. There’s a recognition that McLaren fans all over are from different generations and eras.

Well Said Sir... Agree 100%

Why would Audi pay 800 mil pounds just to change the McLaren name to audi. It doesn't make sense. The Mclaren brand is so strong. They can use the same amount of money and develop 35 new supercar models. When VAG group bought other brands they never changed any name of the brands (škoda, seat, bugatti, lamborghini,...) The McLaren Audi name would be just fine. Just look at Honda.

That would apply to the automotive division… But they could rename the Formula 1 Team to Audi… F1 is a marketing exercise for the teams (Mercedes has valued the Marketing benefit in more than a billion a year) and they are following the old adage: “Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday”.

For VW Group the question would be who benefits the most from the marketing exposure in F1… McLaren or Audi? And based on sales volumes, I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer is Audi and would make sense to rename the team.

The 800 million they would be paying for McLaren of course has a strong brand in the luxury sport car market, but most importantly they are paying for the facilities and know-how from the F1 Team and the time to enter couldn’t be better with a budget cap that evens the field and avoids them having to invest 500 million or more a year simply to compete with the likes of Mercedes, RBR or Ferrari, the budget cap allows teams with good marketing potential (such as McLaren) to operate on a break even / positive EBIT, someone like McLaren will be close to the Budget Cap only based on F1’s prize money, specially if we factor the additional races which will increase FOM’s profit.

[Jolle]

VW has a good trackrecord of keeping the image of the company as they were. For high volume brands, they have a different strategy then for the high end brands. High volume they bought when they are down, incorporate them technically and bring them back to life (Audi, Skoda, Seat), brands with a distinct value (Lamborghini, Porsche and Ducati) they keep them in tact. Others just get completely reinvented with a combination of the two (Bentley and Bugatti). Apart from diesel gate, if there is a car company you want to be taken over by, it's VW. They would keep the McLaren brand.

Could be that the blast from the past isn't McLaren-Honda or McLaren-Mercedes (or the McLaren-Ford return for a season) back way then) but McLaren-Porsche or... will we finally see that McLaren-Lamborgini?

[proteus]

VW has a good trackrecord of keeping the image of the company as they were. For high volume brands, they have a different strategy then for the high end brands. High volume they bought when they are down, incorporate them technically and bring them back to life (Audi, Skoda, Seat), brands with a distinct value (Lamborghini, Porsche and Ducati) they keep them in tact. Others just get completely reinvented with a combination of the two (Bentley and Bugatti). Apart from diesel gate, if there is a car company you want to be taken over by, it's VW. They would keep the McLaren brand.

Could be that the blast from the past isn't McLaren-Honda or McLaren-Mercedes (or the McLaren-Ford return for a season) back way then) but McLaren-Porsche or... will we finally see that McLaren-Lamborgini?

They also have the biggest debt in the world.

[torpor]

Dept? Do you mean Volkswagen‘s moral guilt because of the emissions scandal?

Economically they are in a very good position.

[AtlasZX]

All I ask is that the McLaren name/identity/heritage remain. It would be awful if the deal goes through and there’s a change in the name. I like how Zak’s management has leveraged on McLaren’s history and theme. There’s more homage being paid to Bruce, the papaya history. I just like the direction that they’re going in. There’s a recognition that McLaren fans all over are from different generations and eras.

McLaren's car production is a competitor to Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche, so they will buy the entire McLaren brand or they will rename the team.

[Jolle]

All I ask is that the McLaren name/identity/heritage remain. It would be awful if the deal goes through and there’s a change in the name. I like how Zak’s management has leveraged on McLaren’s history and theme. There’s more homage being paid to Bruce, the papaya history. I just like the direction that they’re going in. There’s a recognition that McLaren fans all over are from different generations and eras.

McLaren's car production is a competitor to Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche, so they will buy the entire McLaren brand or they will rename the team.

If, they are probably more interested in the brand then the F1 team. Although it looks like they are competitors, they share less costumers then Audi, Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda. VW knows like no other how to maximise the different brands under one company.
If they would be after “just” a F1 team, Sauber or HAAS would make more sense. Or even Alpha Tauri + RedBull power trains (and a deal with RBR). The McLaren F1 team would be an added bonus.

[proteus]

Dept? Do you mean Volkswagen‘s moral guilt because of the emissions scandal?

Economically they are in a very good position.

They have 192 billion dollars of debt as a group and are the most debted company in the world.