McLaren and Volkswagen are talking about Formula 1: who could represent the German giant

McLaren and the Volkswagen Group have negotiated a future Formula One entry for the German automaker.

VW has said it will decide next month whether the Audi and Porsche brands will participate.

McLaren has been in talks with the Volkswagen Group, whose Audi and Porsche brands have been linked to the upcoming Formula One entry, but nothing has been agreed, according to team leader Zak Brown.

The Volkswagen Supervisory Board will decide at the end of February whether both Audi and the luxury brand Porsche will enter the sport, the German newspaper FAZ reported

Last year there were rumors about a possible partnership between Audi and McLaren, but nothing was chosen with those rumors.

“I’ve heard that Volkswagen will do something with Red Bull in front of Porsche,” Brown told McLaren reporters.

“I think they talked to a handful of people on the grid and, as you can imagine, we had conversations, but in the short and medium term we are very happy where we are.”

Volkswagen is probing the market

McLaren is currently using Mercedes-powered engines, and Brown said that will not change until a new engine is introduced in 2026.

Red Bull took over Honda’s intellectual property following the departure of the Japanese manufacturer at the end of last season and is setting up its own propulsion company.

The agreement with Honda covers the life of the engine, which will last from this year until the introduction of the next generation of power units.

Brown said McLaren will wait and see if the Volkswagen brands decide to take the plunge or not.

“I think it has not been decided definitively and if they enter, we have a contract with Mercedes for this term,” the American added.

“Of course we will evaluate where we are and who does this sport and we will make a decision on what we will do in 2026 in due course.”