Have you ever pondered why some manufacturers, like BMW, choose not to participate in Formula One despite the sport’s rising popularity? Knowing a team’s history can often help you appreciate them more, in my experience as an F1 and BMW enthusiast. Does BMW compete in Formula One?
BMW does not participate in Formula One and does not have any immediate plans to do so. Due to a poor performance, the global financial crisis, and their desire to raise the technological requirements for their road vehicles, they discontinued their participation in F1 in 2009.
BMW has historically been one of the strongest racing competitors, despite not participating in Formula 1. Let’s look at where they started, what they think about Formula One, and why they still don’t want to compete.
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In Formula One, BMW
This article discusses BMW’s participation in Formula One and the BMW Sauber racing team. See Sauber Motorsport for the independent racing team.
Since the World Drivers’ Championship was established in 1950, BMW has been involved in Formula One in a variety of capacities. Before developing the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s, the business competed in sporadic races in the 1950s and 1960s (typically under Formula Two rules). The team’s chassis were powered by BMW engines from 1982 to 1987 as a consequence of an agreement between BMW and Brabham. Nelson Piquet won the 1983 title while operating a Brabham BT52-BMW during this time. ATS, Arrows, Benetton, and Ligier teams were also given the M12/13 by BMW during this time, with varying degrees of success. Brabham briefly left the sport in 1988, and BMW stopped officially supporting the engines, which were still being used by the Arrows team under the Megatron moniker. The 1989 revision of the Formula One Technical Regulations outlawed turbocharged engines, making the M12/13 obsolete.
In the late 1990s, BMW made the decision to return to Formula One and entered into an exclusive agreement with the Williams team, which was in need of a new long-term engine supplier following the departure of Renault in 1997. A new V10 engine was developed as a result of the initiative and debuted in competition in the Williams FW22 in 2000. The collaboration advanced from the midfield to contending for race victories the next year, but the desired title remained elusive due to Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s domination in the first half of the 2000s. BMW decided to sever ways with Williams in 2005 as their relationship had deteriorated, and instead decided to purchase the rival Sauber team outright.
The BMW Sauber project, which ran from 2006 to 2009, significantly raised the Swiss former privateer team’s competitiveness. A strong third place performance in the Constructors’ Championship in 2007 followed two podium places in the inaugural season (which became second when McLaren was disqualified). Robert Kubica won the team’s lone race in 2008, the Canadian Grand Prix, and briefly held the lead in the Drivers’ Championship, but the team decided to concentrate on 2009 car development and fell back in the standings at the end of the season. Due to the F1.09 chassis’ lack of competitiveness, the 2009 season was a significant letdown. BMW decided to leave the sport, returning the team to its founder, Peter Sauber, in addition to the global financial downturn and the company’s displeasure with the constraints of the current technical standards in developing technology relevant to road cars.
Now that Audi has joined the sport, should BMW think about entering F1?
Audi recently made the official announcement that it will compete in Formula 1 for the first time, which is a significant development for Audi, the Volkswagen Group, and the sport overall. It’s tremendously exciting for me as an F1 fan to see Audi join the league. As a fan of automobiles, I think it’s fantastic that more brands participate in motorsport since it advances their technological capabilities and advances the industry. What about BMW supporters, though? Are they upset that a competitor is returning to a sport that many of them had hoped BMW would rejoin? And now that two of BMW’s key competitors are present, should it rejoin?
The largest competitor to BMW is Mercedes, which has been extremely successful in Formula One for many years. Mercedes has a bit more motorsports renown and legitimacy than BMW thanks to its world championship wins, which must irritate the M Division. Audi, BMW’s primary German rival, has recently joined F1 and will also contend for a title. In 2026, even Porsche will take part in the sport. So, does BMW decide to make a comeback or does it continue to be the lame German duck out of the race? It’s also important to note that Markus Duesmann, the current CEO of Audi, is a BMW alum.
Starting in 2026, Audi will compete in Formula One alongside Sauber, BMW’s former F1 partner, and will provide the vehicle’s engines. Audi will need to put in a lot of work if they want to be even remotely as successful as the current Alfa Romeo Sauber team (Alfa will depart in 2026). Although current drivers Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are both capable drivers (Guanyu is a very promising young driver), their vehicles simply cannot compete with those made by Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes. Perhaps the engineers and engines from Audi can change that. However, new drivers are also anticipated to exist in 2026.
Audi sought a partner when it made its joining announcement. Instead of forming a brand-new team, it preferred to collaborate with an existing one. If BMW were interested in another F1 entry, it would probably take the same action. It might try to court a few teams, like Williams, Haas F1, or even bigger fish like McLaren.
Even though it is quite doubtful, it would be awesome to see BMW return to Formula One. BMW is still very active in motorsport, but not in anything as well-known or well-known as Formula 1. As it switches to electric vehicles, Audi decided to enter F1 because it will give its cars legitimate motorsport credentials. Fans would like it if BMW did the same. Will that occur? Nothing has come to our attention that would indicate BMW is even considering it. But imagining it is enjoyable.