Porsche 2026 F1 deal still not done

Horner has made it clear that Red Bull doesn’t need Porsche to finance its power unit project, and that if the deal doesn’t happen the new engine could simply run under the Red Bull name, or that of any other manufacturer willing to pay to badge it.

He also downplayed suggestions that RBR could still be running with Honda power under the new regulations.

On Thursday, Audi announced that it has registered with the FIA as a PU supplier for 2026, although it gave no details of its plan to eventually take over and rebrand the Sauber team.

However, there has been no word from fellow VW Group brand Porsche, or any indication of a timeline for its decision on a return to F1 for the first time since 1991.

Meanwhile, Red Bull is pushing on with development of its bespoke 2026 PU at its new Powertrains division in Milton Keynes.

The provisional plan is for Porsche to became a shareholder in the operation and for the PU to carry the Stuttgart manufacturer’s name in what in effect will be a marketing arrangement, with only a small number of Porsche engineers eventually working at the RBP facility.

However, the deal has not yet be finalised, despite the regulations being agreed and published by the FIA.

Sources indicated that there is still a debate about key matters such as future shareholdings and voting rights, while an impending Porsche initial public offering is also a complication in terms of finalising any arrangements.

More intriguingly, there have been suggestions that some in the Red Bull camp would prefer to stick with Honda for the long term.

Although Honda officially pulled out of F1 at the end of last season, it agreed to supply RBR and AlphaTauri with the current PU until the end of 2025.

However, Honda’s management has also indicated that it is considering a full return under the 2026 regulations with a new PU.

The obvious problem is that if Red Bull is committed to Porsche then Honda will have to look elsewhere for a partner team, with Williams one of the few obvious options given that a return to McLaren would be impossible.

In theory, RBR and AlphaTauri could run with different PU manufacturers, although that clashes with the company philosophy of sharing technology such as gearboxes across its two teams, and is unlikely to be pursued.

A badging collaboration between Honda and RBP seems unlikely given that…