The agreement that would have seen Porsche acquire 50% of the Red Bull team has been ruled out, according to the team’s advisor Dr. Helmut Marko.
Porsche has long been rumored to have a partnership with Red Bull beginning 2026, joining the sport in line with the new power unit regulations.
The buy-in appeared to be confirmed in papers submitted to Morocco’s Conseil de la Concurrence, and an official announcement was allegedly deferred by F1’s delay in verifying the rule revisions’ plans.
However, the announcement never materialized, and uncertainty arose in light of Audi’s confirmation of its own participation as the Volkswagen Group sister company was initially less expected to enter F1 as the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the rules for 2026.
Marko confirmed to Sport1 that Porsche will not join Red Bull as a stakeholder, reiterating that no portion of the team would be sold.
Marko’s declaration leaves room for an engine partnership with Red Bull’s new Powertrains division, which is already hard at work. Porsche could brand the engine, but it would mean far less engagement than was originally stated when the manufacturer announced its intentions to compete in Formula One earlier this year.
Red Bull’s position was further solidified by team leader Christian Horner, who said: “We are an autonomous team; that is the way we have always worked in terms of flexibility and the capacity to act swiftly and effectively.”
“That is part of the DNA of what Red Bull is. The Powertrains is obviously a different challenge… Of course, if there was a partner to potentially look at working with on the Powertrains, that would make logical sense.”
“Our position is that obviously, the team is the biggest marketing asset globally for Red Bull. Why would we compromise that for the long-term? 2026, we are fully committed… We have recruited some of the best talent in F1. We have created a factory within 55 weeks with fully commissioned dynos.”
“We have built our first prototype engine for 2026 and run that prior to the summer break,” Horner confirmed Red Bull has already fired up a 2026 power unit. “We are on a really exciting trajectory that isn’t dependent on outside involvement or investment. If there is strategically the right partner, then, of course, it is something the group would be interested in.”
