Porsche Red Bull Deal Could Be In Limbo As Honda Rethinks Exit From F1

For the largest part of the 2022 season, it was widely believed that Porsche would be making an entry into F1 with a partnership with Red Bull, where it would take over a 50 per cent stake in Red Bull technologies and oversee the development of the new F1 engine that is being developed at Red Bull powertrains. While Audi was also expected to make an entry, the path for Porsche was supposedly more straightforward and an announcement was expected in the summer. Now, that announcement hasn’t happened while Audi has announced its entry as an engine manufacturer and is expected to take a controlling stake in the Sauber F1 team. Sauber’s current partner Alfa Romeo has also announced its exit from the relationship after the completion of the 2023 season. So what happened to the Porsche Red Bull deal? 

It seems saw Red Bull is getting cold feet and negotiations have stalled between the team behind defending world champion Max Verstappen. Red Bull fears that Porsche could have too much influence and could potentially dilute the Red Bull brand which has been amongst the most successful ones in F1 in the last two decades. Helmut Marko at Red Bull has also spoken of the complexities and Red Bull’s team boss Christian Horner has revealed that many details are to be ironed out as per a report from German publication Auto Motor Un Sport. 

This is also coming at a time where Honda, Red Bull’s erstwhile engine partner has had a rethink of its exit from F1 which happened at the end of last season. Honda continues to manufacture and supply engines to Red Bull with limited branding. With the new engine formula announced for the 2026 season which uses more electrical energy, and the internal combustion element will be based on sustainable synthetic fuels, it is pondering a comeback of sorts. For Red Bull, which would create an opportunity to continue an extremely successful partnership, but for Porsche, the Austrian team is the only option as it indents to be a winner from the get-go.