Porsche entered Formula 1 for the first time in the latter part of the 1950s when it provided engines to the British racing team Cooper. Cooper won the 1959 and 1960 Formula One World Championships with Porsche engines, demonstrating the partnership’s success. Porsche built its own Formula 1 car, the Porsche 718, in the early 1960s, but the car was not competitive, and Porsche retreated from Formula 1 in 1962.
In the 1980s, Porsche reappeared in Formula 1 as an engine supplier to the TAG McLaren squad. The partnership was enormously successful with McLaren capturing three Formula 1 World Championships with Porsche engines in 1984, 1985, and 1986.
#OnThisDay in 1985, Alain Prost won his first World Championship in the stunning MP4/2B. Congrats, Prof. #Prost30 pic.twitter.com/qlKnKIMt2F
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) October 6, 2015
Porsche withdrew from Formula 1 once more after McLaren moved to Honda engines in 1988. It has had no direct involvement with Formula 1 since then, though the engines have been used in other racing competitions such as sports car racing and IndyCar.
Porsche’s exit from F1
According to The Race, Porsche called off its official evaluation of joining Formula 1 in 2026. While Porsche’s parent company, Volkswagen Group, intended to join F1 alongside Audi, discussions with Red Bull and McLaren fell through because it looked for a significant or even controlling stake.
Instead, the unit of the VW group is going to focus on its current racing projects, such as its works on Formula E entry and its return to the top class at the 24 hours of Le Mans. The outcome of Porsche’s official assessment of F1 does not rule out resuming the hunt for a partner team in the future, but the timing does not seem to be as soon as 2026.
🚨| Porsche will not join the F1 grid in 2026, after previous talks with McLaren and Red Bull collapsed.
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 22, 2023
A deal with sister Volkswagen Group brand Audi, for use of its power units, was also rumoured but will not materialise.
Porsche still retains an interest in F1, but it will…
When the choice to enter F1 was announced last year, then-VW CEO Herbert Diess said it was likely the last opportunity for a decade to join the grid. “It takes five to ten years to be among the front runners. In other words, you can only get on board if there is a significant regulation shift,” Diess explained.
When negotiations with Red Bull broke through last summer, Porsche retained it was still looking into joining the grid as well, but only by purchasing a share in a well-established squad because it required the machinery to take on a single-engine project.
BREAKING: Autosport reports that Porsche x Red Bull partnership will be a 10 YEAR contract.
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 27, 2022
Announcement expected on the 4th of August. #F1 #Formula1 #Porsche #RedBull #HungarianGP
VW has accomplished the first half of its goal, as Audi will have an established entrant in 2026. It already owns 25% of Sauber, and this will eventually grow to 75%, with current majority owner Finn Rausing retaining a small share once the deal is completed.