Formula 1
Why Red Bull and Porsche's F1 green light has been delayed again
Red Bull and Porsche’s plans to link up from 2026 currently stand as the worst-kept secret in Formula 1, but announcement plans continue to be pushed back.
Luke Smith Christian Nimmervoll
Edited: Aug 9, 2022, 2:20 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The two parties are set to enter a partnership under the next generation of power unit rules after the Volkswagen Group advisory board gave the nod for Porsche and its sister brand, Audi, to explore entering F1 earlier this year.
The deal will see Porsche take a 50% stake in Red Bull’s F1 operation, as confirmed in legal paperwork that emerged in Morocco towards the end of last month.
The documents also claimed the deal could be announced as early as today, 4th August, but the green light has still not been given.
Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner said in Hungary there was still a “lengthy process” to go through before any possible deal could be announced, noting the “caveats” surrounding Porsche’s status as a new engine manufacturer and what concessions it may get.
The VW Group has been reluctant to given final approval until the engine rules for 2026 are finalised, meaning so long as the regulations remain unfinished, Red Bull and Porsche’s announcement must wait. Red Bull had hoped to go public with the news at its home race in Austria almost a month ago.
Some of the details include how many hours will be allowed in engine testing for a new entity such as Porsche, as well as the material used for engine pistons. While the existing manufacturers want to use steel given their prior experience, Porsche is understood to be keen on a switch to aluminium.
The haggling over these issues has caused the e-vote planned by the World Motor Sport Council to be postponed. A vote was initially meant to take place on 2nd August, but this has now been pushed back to 8th August. The results may take longer to come through due to the summer break.
Porsche F1 car render
Photo by: Camille Debastiani
Speaking to Motorsport.com’s sister publication Motorsport-Total.com in Hungary, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said the matter was “very simple.”
“VW’s board decision is that if the technical regulations meet the criteria, then they have the mandate to go into Formula 1,” Marko said.
“That primarily relates to cost cap, sustainability, zero-emission fuel, equal opportunity as a newcomer, so more dyno capacity, and so on.
“But in purely formal terms, these new regulations don't exist yet. The FIA president is supposedly going to put it to the vote soon in an e-mail vote. Only then will things officially get underway.”
Ferrari and Mercedes have previously denied they were dragging their heels in approving the new rules to frustrate Porsche and Audi’s plans.
But Marko said the “established players” in F1 were “trying to get the best out of it for themselves” by eating into the time for any newcomers to prepare.
Red Bull announced earlier this week that Honda would continue to provide technical support for its power units and engines until the end of 2025.
Red Bull formed its own operation known as Red Bull Powertrains at Milton Keynes that was set to take over from Honda at the end of this year following the Japanese manufacturer’s decision to end its F1 involvement after 2021, only for the engine freeze to change these support plans.
The extension of this deal means there is less doubt over the status of Red Bull Powertrains as a new entrant from 2026, when it is poised to work with Porsche.
“They're just working toward the 2026 regulations,” Marko said of the current focus at Red Bull Powertrains. “If a new manufacturer comes along, they can cooperate.”
Marko also confirmed that Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri will continue to use the same powertrains from 2026, paving the way for Porsche to also supply engines to the Italian squad should the regulations be finalised. Ownership of AlphaTauri is set to remain 100% in the hands of Red Bull.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Williams confirms Albon in F1 race seat for 2023 season
Next article Verstappen: Red Bull can’t afford slip-ups even with "great lead"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Red Bull Racing
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
11 h
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Christian Horner opens up on Red Bull F1 exit: “Perhaps it was perceived I had too much influence over the team”
Formula 1
Formula 1 14 h
Christian Horner opens up on Red Bull F1 exit: “Perhaps it was perceived I had too much influence over the team”
Latest news
Spire, Chris Gabehart reject Joe Gibbs Racing premise on deleted texts
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
2 h
Spire, Chris Gabehart reject Joe Gibbs Racing premise on deleted texts
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
6 h
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 7 h
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
8 h
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe