Porsche today sent motorsport fans on social media into a frenzy when they deleted all their Formula E instagram posts and replaced them with a single post suggesting an imminent announcement. The German automotive brand has been exploring avenues to enter Formula One along with fellow VAG brand Audi, however a potential deal to buy 50% of Red Bull racing collapsed in the Autumn of 2022 leaving Porsche with few options to make its Formula One debut.
Once the obvious candidates like Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine and Sauber are ruled out of a Porsche F1 buy in, the remaining teams other than Williams all appear to present branding conflicts for the German automotive brand.
Porsche still seek stake in F1 team
Porsche’s preferred option appears to be to acquire a stake in an F1 team rather than merely supply power units as Mercedes did prior to their purchase of Brawn. So despite McLaren CEO Zak Brown discussing the possibility of a Porsche hookup, the branding conflict would surely create the ultimate impasse.
“There are obviously benefits to being a works team with some of the advanced knowledge that you get,” Brown said at the Abu Dhabi GP though he was quick to assert the team were happy with their relationship with Mercedes.
“I’m a believer that you can win a world championship with a customer engine. I think the engine in our car is no different than the engine in Lewis [Hamilton’s] car.
“I think the engines are absolutely the same. We have a long-term contract with Mercedes, are very happy with the collaboration and aren’t really spending too much time thinking about 2026 and beyond.”
Williams Racing obvious choice for Porsche
Haas F1 have an entrenched relationship with Ferrari and Sauber will partner with Audi for 2026. This leaves just Aston Martin and Williams as potential targets for Porsche, though the former is a competitive road car brand who buys their current range of engines from Mercedes.
Williams Racing who are owned by American Dorilton Capital appear the obvious choice for a joint venture with a global auto manufacturer. However the team responded quickly today to the doc ill media speculation stating, “The rumors that Williams Racing is up for sale are inaccurate.”
Yet despite stating they were content with their current power unit supplier, Mercedes, the Williams spokesperson admitted, “We are open to any discussions regarding the supply of engines with manufacturers from 2026 when the new engine regulations come in.”
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Making the most of Monday morning commutes 
to this weekend’s showrun in Dublin. pic.twitter.com/OZCQmUNvoF
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) January 16, 2023
