Porsche motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach says the manufacturer has no intention of reviving its Formula 1 aspirations.
In 2022, the Volkswagen group gave its Porsche and Audi affiliates the green light to enter Formula 1. While the latter sealed a deal to partner with – and eventually acquire – Sauber Motorsport from 2026, the former engaged in discussions to team up with Red Bull.
But in September of 2022, after a handshake deal had reportedly been put in place for Porsche to acquire a significant stake in Red Bull Technologies, the entity that operates the Milton Keynes-based F1 team, the two parties called off their talks.
It later came to light that Red Bull was ultimately unwilling to cede its decisionary independence and flexibility as part of its joint venture with Porsche.
Nearly two years on from that botched deal, and with Porsche describing F1 as “an attractive environment” up until last year, the latter is no longer under consideration by the Stuttgart firm.
“It is off the table: right now F1 is not a task for us and we are not spending any energy on that," explained Porsche’s Laudenbach, according to a report from Motorsport.com.
“We are only focused on what we do right now, and if you look at it, we have many different activities: we are well-occupied and extremely happy with what we do.”
Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach.
Indeed, Porsche's motorsport program spans a wide range, from GT competitions to endurance racing with the 963 LMDh and to the FIA Formula E Championship.
“We are engaged in customer racing from track days, GT4, one-make series up to professional GT racing [in GT3],” he explained.
“On top of that we are racing in the two most important endurance racing series [the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship with the 963 LMDh] with our partner Penske.
“The third part, since electrification of our brand is very important, is our engagement in Formula E, which is the only full-electric series on a high level.
“I think we are really well served.”
©Porsche
Porsche’s shift away from Formula 1 also extends to the NTT IndyCar Series, with Laudenbach confirming that the company has no interest in joining the US series as an engine supplier.
Porsche's history in F1 is marked by both success and disappointment. The marque claimed a single Grand Prix victory in 1962, with Dan Gurney winning the 1962 French Grand Prix at Rouen.
Later, Porsche later supplied its 1.5-litre turbo power unit to McLaren during the team’s dominant era in the 1980s with Alain Prost and Niki Lauda.
But its brief return to F1 in 1991 with Footwork was a resounding failure.
Today, the allure of F1 has proven insufficient to entice Porsche back into the sport at this time.
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