BBC F1 analyst Eddie Jordan has claimed that major German car manufacturer, Volkswagen, are very close to agreeing to a takeover of the Red Bull F1 team.
Red Bull's future in the sport has been up in the air as of late after Renault confirmed that they will not be supplying either Red Bull or Toro Rosso with engines next season. Likewise, Mercedes have ruled out supplying one of their largest rivals with an engine, which has left Ferrari as the only current supplier who remain a realistic option for the Austrian team.
However, according to Jordan, VW have been conducting "on and off talks" with Red Bull about buying the team for more than a year, with a takeover of the team seeing VW build it's own engine for the squad, but with Red Bull using Ferrari power until 2018 at which point VW will switch to using their own engine.
The news comes off the back of a reportedly failed attempt by VW to take over the team last winter when the plan was vetoed by the then VW Group Chairman, Ferdinand Piech. Piech was known to be against the move because of gripes with Formula One front man, Bernie Ecclestone. However, the replacement of Piech in April has allegedly put VW on the cusp of a Formula One appearance.
Should Jordan's prediction come to light, it is unclear which brand VW would choose to promote. However, at this early stage it is likely that the team will run under an Audi guise, but both Porsche and Lamborghini are also strong options.
Do you think VW in F1 is a realistic idea? Or perhaps you believe it's nothing but a pipe dream? Let us know below!
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