After documents were released by Morocco’s Conseil de la Concurrence (Competition Council) in late July that showed Porsche was in the process of acquiring a 50% stake in Red Bull Technology, the two parties have confirmed that the partnership has been terminated. The news comes just weeks after Audi announced it would be entering Formula 1 in 2026.
“In the course of the last few months, Porsche AG and Red Bull GmbH have held talks on the possibility of Porsche’s entry into Formula 1,” said a statement from Porsche. “The two companies have now jointly come to the conclusion that these talks will no longer be continued.”
Related: Porsche and Audi Drop a Formula 1 Bombshell.
Image: Behance | Sean Bull
Fans were patiently awaiting the specific details of the partnership that were due to be announced after the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved engine regulations from 2026, however, they never came as expected and rumours of the partnership being terminated began to swirl.
The two marquee brands were unable to come to terms with the agreement that was set to not only include a power unit, but also the team.
“The premise was always that a partnership would be based on an equal footing, which would include not only an engine partnership but also the team. This could not be achieved,” the statement reads.
Honda is currently under contract to manufacture engines for the Red Bull F1 team until 2025, but with Red Bull opening its own engine manufacturing company ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ in April 2022, to spearhead development ahead of regulation changes in 2026, there was a scenario where Porsche would co-develop engines with the brand. That idea has now been put to rest.
In any case, Porsche hasn’t seen a Formula 1 car hit the starting grid since its first foray into the sport back in 1991 with the Footwork Arrows FA12. The car was a hodge-podge of a vehicle with a V12 engine so cumbersome the car had to be re-designed to install it properly.
After failing to qualify in a number of races, the team switched drivers and engines – replacing the Porsche donk with the Ford-Cosworth DFR 3.5 litre V8 engine. The team’s best result was 10th, a far cry from their success in endurance racing at Le Mans with 19 overall victories and a total of 109 class wins in the GT Class.
Image: Behance | Sean Bull
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