Is Formula 1 poised for a copy of motorsport's most famous grudge match?

By:

Matt Kew

Dec 20, 2022, 12:26 PM

OPINION: Over the years motorsport has witnessed iconic rivalries, some of which resurface every so often to remind us of past hostilities. Think Ford vs Ferrari or Senna vs Prost. But could an all-new conflict between two of the biggest brands in racing be heading to Formula 1?

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Prepare to stand down, Le Mans ’66. You’ve served motorsport wonderfully well for nearly 60 years, inspired some of the most beautiful cars ever built and even managed to break into the mainstream with a Hollywood blockbuster. But your time as the ultimate racing revenge story could be under threat. For, much like Henry Ford II, it seems as though Audi has not taken too kindly to having its offer to buy a sportscar manufacturer rejected.

The pandemic pushed McLaren too close to the brink. In 2020, it took out a £150million loan with the National Bank of Bahrain, offered its Norman Foster-designed Technology Centre for sale, made 1200 people redundant and sold a £185m stake in the Formula 1 team to US consortium MSP Sport Capital. As for the Automotive arm, it was forced to delay the launch of its critical Artura hybrid road car owing to development drama and a chip shortage.

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Matt Kew

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Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.