Annually, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este provides us a glimpse into BMW’s most unique design considering. However in 2025, we introduced one thing else to the desk: a dialog on the intersection of engineering, design and racing.
BMWBLOG hosted its annual design speak on the shores of Lake Como, this yr titled “Born on the racetrack; Made for the streets.” Becoming a member of us on stage had been BMW M CEO Frank van Meel, Head of BMW Design Compact Class and BMW M Oliver Heilmer, and BMW manufacturing unit driver Augusto Farfus. Over the course of an hour, the panel lined all the things from the way forward for M design to race-bred tech in highway vehicles. However one query—submitted by a fan from the BMWBLOG group—struck a nerve: “System 1 is larger than ever. Why is BMW nonetheless ignoring it?”
Van Meel didn’t duck the query. He smiled, paused, and provided the sort of direct response you don’t at all times get in a company setting. “We’re not ignoring System 1,” he stated. “We’re simply not taking part. That’s on objective.”
F1 Is Flashy. However Is It Helpful?
On paper, the concept of BMW returning to System 1 is a no brainer. The model has deep roots within the sport—suppose Brabham within the Nineteen Eighties, or the BMW Sauber period within the 2000s. A Roundel on the F1 grid subsequent to McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, or subsequent yr’s Audi, would thrill followers and fire up nostalgia. However nostalgia alone doesn’t justify a multimillion-euro motorsport program.
As a substitute, BMW has chosen to concentrate on endurance racing. The model returned to the highest class of sports activities automobile racing in 2024 with the BMW M Hybrid V8, competing at Le Mans, Daytona, and throughout the FIA World Endurance Championship. It’s a distinct path—quieter in some methods, however way more related to the highway vehicles clients truly drive.
“For us, the World Endurance Championship was the place to go,” van Meel defined. “These vehicles are merely nearer to what we construct for the highway.”
Why Endurance Racing Issues Extra to BMW
Van Meel laid it out clearly. F1 is an engineering showcase, sure—nevertheless it’s additionally a silo. The ultra-specific applied sciences developed for System 1 hardly ever make it out of the paddock and into the showroom. That’s not the case in endurance racing, the place the hybrid programs and thermal administration methods are sometimes just some steps faraway from what BMW M is engineering into its manufacturing fashions.
“From System One, to be taught issues and switch them to series-production vehicles is nearly inconceivable. It’s too distant,” he stated.
In distinction, the challenges of 24-hour racing—excessive temperatures, long-distance sturdiness, vitality restoration—mirror what BMW engineers are engaged on for next-gen M vehicles. The proof? Simply have a look at the brand new M5. Frank and Augusto stated they discovered rather a lot about how a hybrid drivetrain behaves in grueling circumstances.
Racing With Objective, Not Only for the Podium
BMW’s racing philosophy has at all times leaned sensible. Even in its most dominant motorsport eras—whether or not DTM, GT3, or ALMS—the aim wasn’t simply to win, however to be taught. That spirit is alive in LMDh at the moment. And for BMW M, that’s extra priceless than chasing headlines on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re not racing only for advertising and marketing,” van Meel stated. “After all we use it for advertising and marketing, nevertheless it’s not simply that. It has to hook up with the actual vehicles, to what folks should purchase. That’s why LMDh is solely the higher match.”
So, is a return to System 1 off the desk eternally? Who is aware of. However for now, BMW is making it clear: racing is a laboratory, not a spectacle. And WEC affords the sort of suggestions loop F1 merely can’t. That stated, we’ve heard that System 1 has come up in BMW’s high-level discussions practically yearly for the previous decade.”
Keep tuned—our full video of the Villa d’Este design panel can be out quickly, together with extra insights on BMW M design, the philosophy behind the M2 CS, and the way BMW M is evolving within the electrical period.
