The 2026 cooperation between Red Bull and Porsche is officially over after the Austrian squad rejected the Volkswagen controlled company’s offer.
Porsche demanded an equal ownership stake in the squad, amounting to a 50% share. Additionally, they wanted complete control over the power unit that they would start providing to Red Bull in 2026, which upset Red Bull because they had only recently established their own powertrain division.
The agreement was called off by both sides, with the German company issuing the following statement.
“The two companies have now jointly come to the conclusion that these talks will no longer be continued,” Porsche said in a statement.
“The premise was always that a partnership would be based on an equal footing, which would include not only an engine partnership but also the team… This could not be achieved.”
The team’s chief advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, revealed that Red Bull are in talks with Honda about the Japanese manufacturer returning as a works side, indicating that Red Bull isn’t overly concerned about the collapse in negotiations with the well-known manufacturer.
“We don’t need anyone at the moment,” he told Austrian radio station OE3. “If it turns out that there are synergies and benefits, then we are open.”
“Now that Porsche’s cancellation has become official, we have received some surprising enquiries… We are in talks with Honda.”
In their quest to find a suitable partner for 2026, Porsche is apparently currently considering a prospective cooperation with Williams or McLaren.
When the new engine restrictions are implemented in 2026, it appeared as though the Porsche arrangement will integrate the two companies into one alliance. Marko was questioned about the Porsche deal and what ultimately went wrong.
“Ultimately, Porsche wanted to fill or double-fill every position at Red Bull,” said the 79-year-old. “In other words, they wanted to control almost everything… Of course it doesn’t work that way.”
Red Bull has made a point of avoiding using a big manufacturer for their powertrain, and the team has already fired up their first in-house engine for the 2026 season.
“It became clear as we talked that we would have become too bureaucratic and lost our flexibility as a team,” added Marko.
“As we are now, we are in a good position… We have the fastest driver until 2028. We have Adrian Newey, the best engineer. And we have an engine factory that will be fully operational within 55 weeks.”
“The first engine has already fired up. That means we are completely self-sufficient.”
Currently, Formula 1 is booming, and prospective new teams and manufacturers are paying greater attention to the competition.
Audi has already announced that they will be a powertrain supplier for the championship beginning in 2026, and the German automaker is exploring the possibility of working with Sauber.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali rejected Michael Andretti’s request to enter a team in the championship, despite the fact that he expressed a desire to do so.
Domenicali wants to demonstrate that the sport isn’t concerned about losing the interest of significant businesses like Porsche by maintaining the highest standards for the championship.
“Today, like never before, we have a mixture of teams, manufacturers and engine suppliers at the highest level,” said Domenicali. “If something changes, we know what to do.”
