BMW explained why the company is not interested in Formula 1.

      The BMW company left Formula 1 at the end of 2009 and has not made any attempts to return since then. In fact, the Munich-based company remains the only representative of the big "German trio" that is not present in the World Championship. However, BMW has an extensive racing program and successfully competes in various series, including endurance racing.

      The head of the BMW M division, Frank van Meel, stated that the company is not interested in participating in Formula 1 because it is practically impossible to transfer technological solutions from Formula 1 to production cars.

      "In our view, Formula 1 is too far removed from production cars. It is more like a separate laboratory, and the technologies used there are not so easily transferred to production cars," quotes van Meel from the German publication Motor1. "If we were to enter Formula 1, we would essentially have a separate technology division, not connected to the rest of the company.

      Of course, our customers and fans like Formula 1, but they are also interested in racing that is directly related to production cars. This is the essence of the M philosophy – to transfer technologies from motorsport to road cars. Formula 1 simply does not align with this approach.

      Endurance racing in the FIA WEC and IMSA aligns well with our philosophy due to the direct transfer of technologies. For example, the M Concept New Class received some solutions from the M4 GT3, including a hood and diffuser optimized for improved aerodynamics. The design of the lighting elements of the concept is also based on solutions used in our LMDh prototype.

      Moreover, there is also a direct transfer of powertrain technology. In motorsport, we use a hybrid V8 engine, and the same V8 with a hybrid system is installed in the M5 and XM models. In some cases, the same engineers work on these powertrains.

      Thanks to these racing series, we can test individual solutions more quickly and bring them closer to a state suitable for mass production."