Red Bull Sees No ‘Real Disadvantage’ in F1 Without Porsche Deal

Red Bull is doing just fine on its own.

The company had been in discussions with Porsche about a possible deal that would reportedly give the latter a 50% stake in Red Bull’s Formula 1 racing team and Powertrain, its new power unit manufacturer. 

But negotiations ended, with Red Bull ultimately deciding Porsche wasn’t needed.

“Having done our due diligence we felt that actually we were in good shape, and with the recruitment that we’ve made technically, we don’t feel at any real disadvantage to our competitors,” team principal Christian Horner said.

• Red Bull has its own powertrains company in England that employs more than 300 people and counting.
• The facility will power Oracle Red Bull Racing and sister team AlphaTauri when the new engine rules start in 2026, and could power four teams down the road.

As for other potential deals, Horner said that Red Bull is “pushing ahead. We’re not contingent or dependent on the potential partnerships.”

Porsche’s Perspective

Porsche released a statement last week about why the deal fell through.

“The premise was always that a partnership would be based on equal footing, which would include not only an engine partnership but also the team,” the statement reads. “This could not be achieved.”

Porsche, which is planning for an IPO that could value the company between $59.4 billion and $84.2 billion, is still interested in F1.

Sister company Audi announced its own plans to join F1 in 2026 as a power unit instructor.