Word is that Audi has been seriously considering an effort to participate in Formula 1 and if their commitment to the FIA World Endurance Championship is any indication, they would be a welcome addition to the F1 fold, not to mention it would invoke all sorts of nostalgia thanks to the Auto Union grand prix team of the pre-World War II days.
Rather than make noises about quitting and walking off in a huff or having regulations changed after being beaten by Toyota to the title last year, the team from Ingolstadt got down to the business of getting back on top at the WEC’s season opener, the 6 Hours of Silverstone.
Well..one could say an attitude may not be compatible by that of F1’s promoter Bernie Ecclestone who is rumored to be an object of disdain by Audi’s board member for technical development, Ulrich Hackenburg.
The #7 Audi team of Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer recovered from a poor start and a late race penalty to take victory after a tense duel with fellow VW Group member Porsche and their team of Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas.
Fassler had a poor getaway off the line and fell firmly into the LMP2 class before recovering enough to challenge the then the leading Porsche. The duo battled for the best part of 30 minutes before pitting to change drivers.
The #7 Audi then went on to establish a commanding 1 minute lead before Fassler was handed a stop/go penalty for exceeding the traffic limits. The Swiss driver, however, manage to retain the lead, eventually finishing just 4.6 seconds ahead of the Porsche.
The Toyota of reigning world champions Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson(along with Kazuki Nakajima) finished 14 seconds up the road in third while their sister car was classified a lap down in fourth place.
The second Audi could only manage a fifth place result while the #17 Porsche of Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard retired from the race, having led the first 80 minutes of the event from pole position.
G-Drive takes straightforward victory
The Ligiers of G-Drive racing took an easy one-two finish in the LMP2 class of World Endurance Championship with Rusinov/Bird/Canal leading the charge for the Russian outfit.
Extreme Speed Motorsports took the final spot on the podium on their first full-blown season in WEC. The American team took part in two races last year and finished on the rostrum at both occasions.
Ferrari and Aston Martin share victories in GTE class
Defending world champions Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander took the GTE Pro victory in an AF Corse Ferrari ahead of the #91 Porsche. Aston Martins who took the top three positions in qualifying fell to the clutches of their German and Italian rivals in the race, eventually finishing in fourth, fifth and sixth places.
However, the British luxury car manufacturer reigned supreme in the Amateur class, ahead of two customer Ferraris.
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