Porsche puts F1 entry on hold as McLaren idea also leads nowhere

According to a report on Autosport’s sister site, Motorsport-Total.com, Porsche has now decided against pursuing options in grand prix racing.

The decision has been made after it came very close to a deal with Red Bull last year before talks fell through when the Milton Keynes-based team grew concerned about losing its independence.

At the time, Porsche was clear that it would continue to evaluate other options on the grid as F1’s new sustainable fuel rules from 2026 were attractive to it.

However, since the retirement of vice-president of motorsport Fritz Enzinger – who was regarded within the company as the driving force behind Porsche’s Formula 1 ambitions – in December 2022, the topic of the premier class has been quiet.

As of September 2022, after negotiations with Red Bull broke down, the official line was that Formula 1 would remain “an attractive environment” that would “continue to be monitored.”

This prompted widespread speculation about many options being on the table, including with the Williams team or even a partnership with Michael Andretti, who has been trying for several years to get into F1.

However, none of these routes was seriously evaluated and instead, Porsche’s efforts were quietly wound down.

Now, Porsche itself has confirmed that the F1 project has been shelved for the time being as the company’s motorsport focus will be elsewhere.

“Motorsport will always be at the core of our brand identity,” said a statement from the company. “Formula 1 remains an interesting racing series for us.”

But with it currently committed to racing in WEC and IMSA, as well as FE, Porsche added about its other activities: “There, we want to fight for overall victories. That’s our tradition and our main focus.”

Porsche’s wording offers an intriguing choice of language, as the phrase “remains an interesting racing series” doesn’t slam the door shut on it ever entering F1.

On the other hand, the phrase “for the coming” years in regard to sportscars and FE makes it clear that it is not seriously evaluating options elsewhere.

This fits in with information obtained by Motorsport-Total.com, which suggests those employees who were tasked under Enzinger’s leadership with driving forward the preparations for Formula 1 entry have since been reassigned to other tasks within the Group.

This makes it very obvious that there will be no Formula 1 entry…