Porsche's F1 involvement is not over, says FIA

Porsche is committed to competing in Formula One despite the breakup of its partnership plans with Red Bull Racing in September.

According to FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem, Porsche is still in talks with Formula One teams after Wednesday's World Motor Sport Council meeting. [At Spa-Francorchamps in August, Audi announced that it would join the FIA Formula 1 World Championship as a power unit manufacturer from 2026." He also notes that Porsche is still in discussions with Formula 1 teams."

Porsche has also stated its desire to enter F1, although it has not signed a deal with Red Bull.

Herbert Diess, former CEO of Volkswagen Group, said in May that the automaker had given its approval for Audi and Porsche to enter F1 in 2026, when new sustainability-oriented power unit rules are scheduled to be introduced.

While Audi will compete as a power unit supplier, it will also partner with an existing team whose identity will be revealed later this year. That team is expected to be Sauber, whose partnership with Alfa Romeo will end in 2023.

Porsche was expected to follow the same path as Red Bull, but failed to reach a deal that would have given it an "equal footing" regarding control of the team. Negotiations broke down in September.

A possible alternative would have been McLaren, which had previously run F1 cars with Porsche power units. In addition, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl had previously been head of Porsche's motorsport division and had run a successful LMP1 program in the World Endurance Championship.

Then there is Williams, which has ties to the VW Group. Jost Capito, the team's CEO, was previously the head of performance and motorsport at Volkswagen R. He has also been involved in the development of the team's LMP1 program, which has been a success in the World Endurance Championship.