One of the most well-known brands in auto racing is Porsche, and they have vehicles in several races. Additionally, they are among the most well-known automobile names outside of the racing world. It is therefore reasonable to inquire why Porsche does not have an F1 vehicle.
Porsche doesn’t own an F1 car for a number of reasons, but the primary one is that it doesn’t align with their corporate ideals because it deviates too much from their focus on road cars. They don’t have an F1 car for another major reason, but they do compete in other motorsports.
Porsche dominates the luxury and sports car markets, which deters them from prioritizing motorsport. To understand why they are no longer in Formula 1, however, it is important to consider their former involvement in the sport as well as their numerous other motorsport ventures.
In This Article...
Volkswagen CEO affirms Porsche and Audi will compete in Formula One.
Following months of rumors regarding their separate ambitions, Porsche and Audi will join the F1 grid when the sport’s new engine formula is in effect, according to the CEO of the Volkswagen Group.
The Volkswagen Group has made it quite clear that Porsche and Audi will join Formula 1 starting with the 2026 season.
As the sport strives for a new engine formula, premium Volkswagen brands Porsche and Audi have recently been strongly associated with F1 entries.
Further encouraging rumblings came from the Volkswagen Group’s camp following a recent Supervisory Board meeting, and Herbert Diess, the company’s CEO, revealed on Monday that Porsche and Audi have chosen to move through with their plans.
Diess noted that Porsche’s preparations were farther advanced than Audi’s during a presentation that was aired on the Volkswagen Group’s YouTube page, but he avoided providing any further specifics.
Just Win
Professor h.c. F. German automaker Porsche AG, commonly abbreviated as Porsche AG, is known for its high-performance vehicles and engines. It is believed to be the biggest and most prosperous racing vehicle company in the world, and it is based in Stuttgart.
From 1957 to 1964, Porsche vehicles powered by either Flat-4 or Flat-8 air-cooled engines participated in Formula One. Dan Gurney, driving for them, claimed their lone championship triumph at the 1962 French Grand Prix.
Porsche in racing
The majority of Porsche’s victories in the various motorsport disciplines have come in long-distance competitions.
By the mid-1950s, Porsche had already experienced some success in the world of sports car racing, most notably in the Carrera Panamericana and Targa Florio, historic races that were later used to inspire the names of streetcars. However, their early involvement in motorsports was limited to providing relatively small engines to underdog racing teams up until the late 1960s.
[Reference needed] They became a force thanks to the Porsche 917 of 1969, winning the first of more than a dozen 24 Hours of Le Mans, more than any other firm, in 1970. Porsche dominated the 1970s with the 911 Carrera RS and Porsche 935 Turbo, even defeating sports prototypes, a category into which Porsche entered the successful 936, 956, and 962 models.
The largest manufacturer of race cars nowadays is Porsche. Porsche constructed 195 race cars in 2006 for various international motorsports competitions, and in 2007 Porsche is anticipated to build at least 275 race cars specifically.
It was historically extremely rare for factory-entered Porsche racing cars to participate at consecutive races in the same specification because Porsche views racing as a crucial component of ongoing engineering development. Almost always, some part of the car was being developed, either for the upcoming race programs or as a proof of concept for upcoming road vehicles.
Audi and Porsche will start funding F1 teams in 2026.
The legendary two brands of German luxury automakers Audi and Porsche are expected to partner with racing teams in the motorsport championship when they enter Formula 1 in 2026.
Their parent corporation Volkswagen would be able to divide development costs among its Lamborghini, Porsche, and McLaren racing teams if they competed in Formula One. For the two automakers to compete in Formula 1, the supervisory board of Volkswagen must give its consent.
- As powerplant suppliers, Porsche and Audi would enter Formula 1.
- McLaren and Audi would collaborate to power Audi’s racing squad.
- Porsche is thinking about collaborating with Red Bull Racing.
In order to get into the sport, Porsche is apparently in talks with Red Bull Racing, while Audi may may end up purchasing McLaren.
The primary German competitors of Mercedes-Benz, the Volkswagen Group’s Porsche and Audi, have been watching from the sidelines, perhaps waiting for the right time to make their move into the sport while Mercedes-Benz has been a dominant force in Formula 1 racing for years. That day could arrive in the next several years, according to rumours that the board of VW has approved plans by Porsche and Audi to collaborate with Red Bull Racing and McLaren, respectively.
Since the firm has been secretly trying to invest in McLaren, which would include the present McLaren Racing F1 team, there have long been rumors that at least Audi will get involved in Formula 1 in the future. After apparently considering entering Formula One, VW Chief Executive Herbert Diess reportedly told Reuters that the corporate board had “ran out of arguments.” Diess also asserted that Porsche was more prepared than Audi to compete in Formula 1, which can be interpreted as a lack of faith in Audi’s quest to acquire McLaren.
Audi reportedly increased its offer to McLaren from a prior proposal of 450 million euros that was turned down to 650 million euros ($718 million), according to reports from Germany’s Automobilwoche and Bloomberg earlier in April. The F1 racing team that currently fields drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo will be acquired by Audi if the agreement is approved.
Porsche’s route to F1, which is rumored to be more certain than Audi’s, reportedly include talks with Red Bull Racing, of which the sole information provided states that it would be a “long-term” agreement. It’s expected that Porsche would provide the powertrain, possibly taking the place of the Honda-based engine Red Bull presently uses in competition. A new agreement’s potential effects on Red Bull Racing’s partner AlphaTauri are likewise unknown. Porsche has had prior involvement in Formula One in the 1960s, 1980s, and again in the 1990s. At one point, Porsche even provided engines for McLaren.
If Diess truly has persuaded VW’s board to allow Porsche (and possibly Audi) to compete in Formula One, such a decision most likely won’t be made until about 2026. That would give the businesses time to get ready for the new regulations for sustainable-fuel engines that the Formula 1 grid will implement that year.
According to a July report from Motorsport Total, paperwork submitted to Moroccan antitrust regulators almost confirms Porsche’s ambitions to form a joint venture with Red Bull Racing in Formula One and buy a 50% stake in the company’s racing endeavors. According to the source, the announcement of the arrangement was initially scheduled to take place at the Austrian Grand Prix, but was postponed due to FIA delays in approving F1’s engine regulations for 2026.
In a statement issued to ESPN on the potential agreement, Red Bull said that the two firms “remain engaged in productive discussions” and expressed their anticipation for the “satisfactory finalization of the FIA’s varied sporting, financial, and technical standards for 2026.” Now, it’s believed that the new rules will be accepted in August, when the Porsche-Red Bull partnership will finally be revealed.
Why doesn’t Porsche field an F1 team?
At the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday, the German automaker finally announced its participation in Formula One for the 2026 season, announcing it would be building and producing its own power unit from its Neuburg headquarters.
Although there hasn’t been a formal announcement regarding the partnership, it will involve Sauber.
Audi’s intention to build its own engine has generated some interest because sister company Porsche will be teaming up with the Milton Keynes-based team to use its own engine as well. Porsche is anticipated to announce its entry with Red Bull in the coming weeks.
In contrast to sharing designs and rebranding, it means that parent firm VW will have to pay two distinct engine development programmes, which will be far more expensive.
Markus Deusmann, chairman of the board at Audi, revealed that there had been extensive internal debate inside the firm about whether or not to pool engine resources with Porsche before the decision to have distinct projects was made.
In the end, he claimed that the demand for Audi to act independently came from the need to optimize power units for certain teams.
“However, because both of our brands have large followings and distinctive personalities, we chose to keep everything separate and conduct two operations.
“We had a number of explanations for that. There will be various teams, thus the powerplant needs to be specifically tailored to the chassis.
Due to the fact that we will have completely distinct chassis and powertrains, we opted to split it.
Oliver Hoffmann, director of technical development at Audi, continued: “The integration of the electric side of the powertrain and the chassis takes time to make in two cars in order to fulfill the deadline. Therefore, it will be entirely different operations, and we will handle the integration process ourselves.”
If Audi wants to be competitive starting in 2026, it will need to catch up to other manufacturers like Mercedes and Ferrari in terms of its understanding of the F1’s turbo hybrid rules.
The car business believes it will be able to catch up eventually because of the way new laws have been written to give more freedom to new competitors.
Hoffman furthered: “First of all, completing this task by 2026 will be a significant challenge.
“But I believe that we are able to reach some agreements with the regulations so that we may participate [on equal terms] with all of the other rivals. We enjoy the challenge, too.
“In less than a year, we were able to run the Dakar and construct the Dakar car, which also has a very sophisticated drivetrain. And I believe that by 2026, we will be able to produce this powertrain as well.”
Deusmann declared: “We are obviously in the situation we are in right now. And the others already have functional powertrains. However, the size of the regulation modifications allowed us to perceive an opportunity to enter and compete.”
Porsche had an F1 squad, right?
Porsche hasn’t competed in Formula One since Footwork replaced the Porsche engines with Cosworth DFRs. In addition to having insufficient horsepower, the 3512 reportedly had serious oil starvation issues that frequently resulted in engine failure.
Which Formula One team is Porsche buying?
Legal documents state that Porsche will buy a 50% stake in Red Bull Technology in order to partner with the team and enter Formula 1 in 2026.
When the new power unit regulations were announced earlier this year, VW stated that the Volkswagen Group was interested in competing in Formula One. Porsche and Audi were given the go-ahead to start developing their entry. Audi’s plans seem less firm at this time, but Porsche has frequently been associated with a relationship with Red Bull, and further information about the plans has now surfaced.
Although there is currently no formal confirmation, Morocco’s mandated publishing of the proposed deal has resulted from the requirement to submit evidence to antitrust authorities:
Porsche has agreed to buy a 50% investment in Red Bull Technology, according to the disclosure form, which claims the deal will be disclosed on August 4 and will need a 10-year commitment. Porsche is anticipated to provide the power unit, but the ownership stake may give it more sway.