With his victory at his home race in Zandvoort on Sunday, Max Verstappen took the next step towards defending his Formula 1 world title. Meanwhile, there is apparently news of a long-term project for his Red Bull racing team. The cooperation with Porsche is probably off the table for the time being. You can see why in the video above.
As “sports1“reported, the negotiations between the F1 team and the car manufacturer from Stuttgart have burst. The TV station quotes Red Bull Motorsport chief adviser Helmut Marko, who confirmed the report.
“Porsche will not become a shareholder with us. We have every opportunity to build our own engines,” said the 79-year-old.
“We couldn’t come to an agreement”, Marko also confirmed to “tz” and “Münchner Merkur”: “We will not sell any shares in Porsche. We are not the Porsche Supercup.”
“Red Bull has always been an independent team, that was one of our strengths,” added team boss Christian Horner on the sidelines of the Dutch Grand Prix: “Our ability to make quick decisions is part of our DNA. We are not a company-managed organization and that remains an absolute one prerequisite for the future.” Potential partners would have to “decide whether they want to participate”, but on the terms of the Red Bull team.
For a long time before the summer break, it had seemed that an agreement was only a matter of time. It was discussed that Porsche would take over 50 percent of the Austrian racing team’s chassis works and also work with Red Bull in engine production.
But the tide seems to have turned. According to the “Sport1” report, cooperation ultimately failed due to the specific distribution of competences and money. Porsche had pushed for having the power to make decisions on key issues. Meanwhile, Red Bull didn’t want to give up too much power.
Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026 – Porsche has to search
In addition, the possible purchase price for the shares in the Formula 1 team is said to have caused discrepancies. Since the negotiations began about a year ago, Red Bull is said to have increased their own value significantly thanks to the world title and dominance this season. According to the media report, the team was not prepared to sell shares at a “ridiculous price”.
In addition, the Austrians were in a strong negotiating position. Because Red Bull is not dependent on Porsche for development in the coming years. The development of an own engine seems to be going according to plan.
For the new regulation era from 2026, Honda has reportedly also signaled an interest in developing an engine again. The Japanese are currently delivering what is probably the most powerful unit to the Austrians. However, it seems more likely that the racing team will become self-sufficient with the Red Bull High Performance Powertrains, as had been planned for a long time.
Meanwhile, Porsche is said to be looking for another option to push into Formula 1 in 2026. “Sport1” speculates that McLaren could now be the focus of Stuttgart.
Last week in Spa, Audi announced that it would enter the premier class of motorsport as an engine brand from 2026.