It will be withdrawn from Formula 3 by the end of this year.
Volkswagen announced that it will shift its motorsport focus towards customer-based production racing.
After four strong seasons, the German manufacturer quit the World Rally Championship in 2016. It also confirmed earlier this week that it will end its Formula 3 engine supply program. The category has new regulations for 2019.
Volkswagen’s current F3 supply efforts began in 2007 when it started producing 4-cylinder 2-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engines for the FIA-backed European F3 series and other regional championships.
It is now focusing its attention on its TCR customer touring vehicle, the Golf GTI TCR (below) and the Polo R5 rallycar (below right), which will be available later in the year.
“In the future we will put even more emphasis on Volkswagen Products. Sven Smeets, Volkswagen Motorsport Director, stated that the Golf GTI TCR has been a strong ambassador for the brand in many races around the globe. The new Polo GTI R5 will achieve the same goal.
“Formula 3 has a remarkable history. Over the past three decades, Volkswagen drivers and teams have had great success against other manufacturers’ teams – we are deeply grateful to them for that,’ Smeets said. “We will continue to support our customers in order to make the 2018 season a success at the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in Paris and the FIA Formula 3 World Cup Macau.”
Apart from its customer operations, Volkswagen will continue to have a factory presence at top-level rallycross. Volkswagen Sweden will compete with the Petter Solberg Rallycross team and Kristoffersson Motorsport team in the FIA World Rallycross championship. Volkswagen of America will support Andretti Autosport in Americas Rallycross championship.