There’s no doubt that, in terms of involvement and fanbase, Formula 1 is in the best health it’s ever been. With Audi soon fielding a factory team, Ford poised to enter the sport with Red Bull, and Andretti making its own bid supported by General Motors, things are only looking up for a series that was struggling to attract manufacturer interest a decade ago. But according to a new report, there’s one automaker that will be rescinding its plans to join the grid, with Porsche bowing out of the running.
The Porsche to F1 rumors have seemingly been as old as the sport itself, but back in May 2021, then-CEO of the VW Group, Herbert Diess, confirmed that the brand from Stuttgart would be taking advantage of the new 2026 engine regulations. But while the VW group will be represented by Audi’s takeover of the Sauber team, it seems any hopes of Porsche in F1 have been dashed, with The Race reporting that the German sports car manufacturer is thought to have ended its formal evaluation of the program.
It had been widely reported that Porsche was planning on buying a 50 percent stake in Red Bull Racing, a deal that would have suited the automaker as it would have provided it with an F1 engine and development facilities by means of the Red Bull Powertrains division. However, it soon became apparent that those at Red Bull were unwilling to cede control of the racing arm, and opted to tie up with Ford from the 2026 season instead.
This left Porsche with limited options. An early bid for VW to buy or invest in McLaren is also understood to have broken down, leaving the possibility for Porsche to rebrand Audi’s engines as a supplier to another team – but one which evidently didn’t appeal. With no other teams looking to sell up, another option for Porsche to appear on the grid would have been to start from scratch and apply as a new team, with the FIA opening the process to up the grid from 10 teams to 12 from 2025. However, building a team from the ground up would have required a significantly greater financial commitment than the previous options.
Porsche’s 2026 bid, had it been successful, would have been the first time the name returned to the sport since its lackluster partnership with Footwork in 1991. But with plans now dead, it seems like – for the medium term at least – Porsche will instead focus on its Formula E program and Le Mans return.
