Volkswagen's chairman Ferdinand Piech, long viewed as the reason the company's brands have not entered Formula One in recent years, has stepped down from his role.
Piech resigned at the weekend after losing a power struggle with chief executive Martin Winterkorn. The VW board backed Winterkorn to be the next chairman of the company, ending Piech's tenure, which stretches back to 1993, as he quit with immediate effect.
The 78-year-old's personal feud with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone was believed to be the main obstacle for one of Volkswagen's brands entering the sport. Ironically Ecclestone told the BBC as recently as the Bahrain Grand Prix that he would be "happy to step down if it brought those people in" - a reference to his strained relationship with Piech.
In his eight years as chief executive Winterkorn has been largely responsible for increasing VW's presence and success rate in motor sport, albeit outside of F1. Volkswagen has won the last two World Rally Championships, while Audi has long been the dominant force in the World Endurance Championship and has recently been re-joined in the series by Porsche. Both marquees currently compete against VW Group brands Lamborghini and Bentley in GTs.
Despite success elsewhere Piech refused to allow VW Group to enter a series run by Ecclestone throughout his tenure due to a displeasure with how F1 was governed. There are no guarantees his departure will lead to an entry into F1 but a boardroom shift could lead to a change of thinking at VW Group about its involvement in motor racing.
Rumours linking the VW Group with Red Bull, which has a fragile relationship with current engine supplier Renault, continue to persist - though any partnership along those lines would likely be deferred until 2017.