No Formula 1 for BMW, only Formula E and WEC

Last week, BMW surprised the motoring world by announcing that they will be returning to Le Mans. The German automaker’s entry to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) will be the next big factory GT challenger. The car will be engineered to meet full GTE regulations. That being said, it can also participate at the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2018. Would they also go for Formula 1 then?

In an interview with Klaus Fröhlich, Chief Development Officer of BMW AG, he said: “The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is an interesting format. We are a dynamic company and watch the motorsport world very closely. In the next iteration of the evaluation process of motorsport strategy that will certainly play a role.”

The last time BMW Motorsport was in Le Mans, they were represented by a BMW M3 GT2. Circa 2010 and 2011. For this comeback, BMW will have a new M model in the LM GTE Pro category.

This new GT sports car is expected to have innovative technology. It may be revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show.

Moreover, BMW is also looking at participating in the Formula E championship. “This is a very interesting series with great potential and a different target group,” added Fröhlich. “For us, it is however provided that you can run with a car from start to finish.”

There are still no plans to participate in the Formula 1 race, as confirmed by BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. The last BMW participation was in 2009.