The real reason Porsche doesn’t have an F1 team

Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, McLaren… If you’re wondering which big-name luxury car brand is missing from this list of Formula One teams, you’re likely thinking of Porsche.

The German carmaker is regularly celebrated for its engineering prowess, but its Formula One journey was relatively short-lived.

With recent talk of a Porsche comeback for the 2026 season, here's what you need to know about Porsche's F1 journey so far.

Porsche cars competed in F1 from 1957 to 1964 and in that time it clocked only one win – at the 1962 French Grand Prix, with American driver Dan Gurney behind the wheel. 

In 1964, Porsche withdrew from the competition altogether, citing rising costs, with the team's middling performance clearly falling short of the investment made. 

Later, in 1980, Porsche tried its hand at Indycar Racing with the Type 940 Indy. 

Powered by a single-turbo version of the 935 flat-six, the car smashed the Ontario oval track record in testing, which caused Indy officials to request (at the behest of some of the sport's well-known players) that Porsche lower the boost pressure to 1.6bar. 

Things soured from there with the relationship between Porsche, Interscope Racing and Indycar dissolving so much that Porsche pulled out before the event and the Type 940 never raced.

Not long after, the brand made a successful F1 reappearance as an engine supplier for the McLaren racing team between 1984 and 1987.

The engines – which were co-branded TAG in a nod to major sponsor TAG Holdings – helped McLaren win two world championships.

Most recently, Porsche spent one year as an engine supplier for the Footwork Arrows F1 team, but the team switched to a Ford engine after a series of disastrous performances. The brand also currently has a team in the Formula E electric-car championship.

But after a long F1 hiatus, hopes were sparked in early 2021 that Porsche was hatching plans to make a triumphant return to F1 in 2026.

This rumour was solidified when Porsche CEO Oliver Blume confirmed: "The VW Group is looking at whether entry into Formula One would be attractive for us. But no decision has been made yet.”

The 2026 season holds particular allure for Porsche because it will mark the advent of new engine regulations stipulating 100 per cent sustainable fuel and an engine efficiency threshold minimum of 50 per cent.

Porsche sees this as a fresh start and the ideal time for it to enter the sport – it has a chance to get out ahead of the pack on new terms.

"A lot of things are going in the right direction concerning F1,” Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, said in late 2021. 

“It is clear you cannot go forward with a battery-electric vehicle, we all know that. But there needs to be a much higher priority on the electric part of the powertrain. That is important because as an OEM if you want to show yourself in motorsport it has to be relevance to what you have on the road.”

However, Porsche – which is owned by the Volkswagen Group – does not currently have the internal infrastructure required to develop a Formula One car and thus would have to join forces with a development partner. 

In mid-2022, leaked documents revealed Porsche’s plans to buy half of Red Bull Technology – with the 50 per cent stake ensuring it was more than just a sponsor and had a controlling stake in the racing team.

Red Bull's current engine supplier, Honda, announced plans to withdraw from Formula One but said it will continue to supply Red Bull with engines until 2025 – leaving the perfect opening for Porsche in 2026.

Unfortunately, in September 2022, Porsche released a statement announcing the partnership talks had ended because an agreement could not be reached – likely because Red Bull Racing was unwilling to hand over such a large stake to Porsche. 

“In the course of the last few months, Porsche AG and Red Bull GmbH have held talks on the possibility of Porsche’s entry into Formula One,” Porsche’s statement read. 

“The two companies have now jointly come to the conclusion that these talks will no longer be continued.

“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.”

However, Porsche’s statement left the door open for future involvement in F1.

“With the finalised rule changes, the racing series nevertheless remains an attractive environment for Porsche, which will continue to be monitored,” it concluded.

Shortly thereafter, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed Porsche was “still in discussions with Formula One teams”.

Porsche's remaining options for F1 development partnerships included teams like McLaren, Williams, Haas and AlphaTauri, although the last was doubtful as it is wholly owned by Red Bull Racing.

However, a report from The Race in March 2023 claimed Porsche had officially ended its formal evaluation of a re-entry into Formula One for the 2026 season.

Instead, it reported the German carmaker would focus on its existing motorsports entities, including Formula E and its participation in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

"Motorsport will always be at the core of our brand identity... Formula One remains an interesting racing series for us," the company said in a statement, according to Motorsport.com.

Porsche added its existing motorsports commitments were "our tradition and our main focus".

Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Group will focus its F1 energies on Porsche's sister brand, Audi, which is in the process of buying out the Sauber, aka Alfa Romeo, team and has plans to build its own engines.

In short, Porsche doesn't have an F1 team because it was unable to find a partner team for entry into the 2026 season.

Given Formula One is such an expensive sport that requires a lot of development, it would be challenging for Porsche to re-enter the fray without an established partner of some kind.

It would likely take the brand several years to start seeing a return on what would require a substantial investment.

Previously, former Volkswagen Group Chairman Herbert Diess implied entry into the 2026 season was something of a "now or never" bid.

"You need five or 10 years to be among the front runners. In other words, you can only get onboard if you have a major rule change," he said, according to The Race.

“That means you can decide now to do Formula One – or then probably not again for 10 years.”