Does Porsche have a future in Formula 1?

When Porsche officially confirmed that negotiations with Red Bull about a possible joint project in Formula 1 had been stopped and would not be continued, this news immediately caused a lot of reactions.

And among them was this: “Michael Andretti urgently needs to call Porsche. If he succeeds in getting Porsche as a partner and engine supplier in Formula 1, he will be given a place on the starting field without any problems.

This is a perfectly logical response to the sentence that ends the statement of the Stuttgart company: “Since the engine regulations have already been approved, a racing series like Formula 1 still remains attractive for Porsche, so we will develop the situation.”

It is clear that the Formula 1 leadership is not happy with the failure of the negotiations with Red Bull, but as the interest of the legendary German sports car maker seems to remain, they must try to take advantage of this situation. Whether it will succeed, and if so, in what form, will become clear over time.

Red Bull Racing was not ready to give up their independence, especially as they have more than successful experience working with Honda, while Porsche would like to enter the championship on their own terms. In addition, there were rumors in the paddock that Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz was willing to show more flexibility in the negotiations than Christian Horner and his colleagues at Red Bull Racing.

Apparently Mateschitz has changed his mind or was persuaded to change his mind, but today’s announcement by Porsche AG puts an end to that story.

Formula 1 could have gotten two premium brands from the Volkswagen Group, and in the end only Audi would come, which was officially announced, but without details, during the days of the Belgian round of the championship. Although it is already clear that we are talking about an alliance with the Swiss company Sauber, whose team now plays in the championship as Alfa Romeo.

At the same time, there are rumors that Honda may return to Formula 1 as the Japanese company continues to supply power plants to two Red Bull teams and is already preparing this season to celebrate victory in both championships with Red Bull Racing. Liberty Media would of course only applaud this, but Porsche doesn’t want to miss it either.

At the same time, they say that the Stuttgart-based company does not have a ready-made infrastructure that would allow the successful implementation of the project in Formula 1 – which is why they showed so much interest in acquiring a large stake in Red Bull Powertrains. Porsche has no alternative plan and it will take a long time to develop one, with 2026 just around the corner.

What can be the way out of this situation? Will the Volkswagen Group look for him independently or together with Formula 1, try to take over an existing team, or will they join forces with the Andretti Global project, for example, even if that is more fantasy? To date, there are no answers to these questions.

However, there is a more realistic scenario: Porsche could pay attention to a team like Williams. Its current leader, Jost Capito, was once head of the Volkswagen racing division and has achieved great success in the rally world. Of course, rumors are already circulating that a clarification of the parties’ positions is underway behind the scenes – still in the distant approaches – and Porsche representatives have already visited the team’s base in Grove.

Since 2020, Williams Racing has been owned by the Dorilton Capital holding company, for which this is an investment project – therefore, if a suitable price is offered for the team, what is the point of the US side refusing to repay their investments, and even with a big profit?

Unless, of course, another American project, Andretti Global, shows more punctuality and does not prejudge everyone else who wants to form an alliance with Porsche.