https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/...deal-geplatzt/
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Porsche deal already dead?
Red Bull has made it clear that the team's independence is more important than an engine contract. That challenges Porsche. The aim is to push the Germans down to the terms that were originally agreed.
The dream marriage of Red Bull and Porsche has not yet broken off, but the wedding has been postponed. According to Red Bull, the negotiations are currently on ice. Sports director Helmut Marko speaks of a "standstill". The racing team is not prepared to sell parts of its team or the holding company, let alone 50 per cent.
Sporting director Helmut Marko and team boss Christian Horner insist on their independence. And they are supported in this by company founder Dietrich Mateschitz. According to rumours, there was also a trip to Bangkok during the summer break to swear the Thai majority owners to the new line.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said at Zandvoort: "We are an independent team and we have always operated like that to be flexible and fast and efficient. That is part of the DNA of Red Bull. The power unit is a different challenge. If there is a partner we can work with, it makes sense."
Porsche wanted more
So the cloth is not yet torn. If the conditions are right, a collaboration with Porsche is still possible. They would be prepared to sell shares in the engine division "RB Powertrains" to Porsche, Marko lets slip.
The dissonance in the talks with Porsche apparently arose when Porsche changed the agreements and demanded a higher share in the parent company "Red Bull Technologies" than originally agreed. With the corresponding right to a say.
Marko and Horner, however, do not want to be interfered with in their core business. That's why Honda is the ideal partner at the moment. The Japanese supply a winning engine, but do not interfere in the team's decisions. Honda has coupled its own junior programme with the Red Bull Junior Team. But here, too, Red Bull ultimately decides which driver gets the nod.
Going it alone if necessary
Red Bull makes it quite clear to Porsche that, if necessary, they can do everything on their own. At RB Powertrains, the 300 employees have already completed a prototype of the 2026 engine. The power unit for the future is already running on the test bench.
Horner reveals, "We've recruited a lot of the best talent from Formula 1 to Red Bull Powertrains, we've built a factory in 55 weeks and have fully functioning test beds. Our path does not depend on any outside investment or commitment. If there is the right partner strategically, then of course we are interested." Porsche would be such a partner.
In Zuffenhausen, however, they have to say goodbye to the idea of taking over a Formula 1 team through the back door. If you're successful, it doesn't really matter whether you have team shares or not. If you market your victories well, you also get enough of the glory as an engine supplier.
Mercedes, for example, practised this for a long time. McLaren was also a strong brand as a chassis partner and the engines were built by Ilmor in Brixworth and not by Mercedes in Stuttgart. Nevertheless, Mercedes won in the end.
Porsche relies on Red Bull
Red Bull's stalling policy puts Porsche in a tight spot. Because of the now approved IPO before the end of the year, the window of opportunity to reach an agreement is getting narrower and narrower. Waiting until after the IPO would mean missing the FIA deadline of 15 October. Since Porsche is extremely important to the F1 management and the world governing body, they are currently looking for emergency solutions to the deadline conflict.
There are no alternatives for Porsche. In Zandvoort, there were rumours that McLaren could be an alternative address because team boss Andreas Seidl is very well known in Zuffenhausen. But as Audi has already learned, McLaren is not willing to sell its team either.
And Porsche would then have to build the engine all by itself. They have neither the personnel nor the infrastructure. That's why the connection with Red Bull would be so ideal. There is a functioning engine factory there that is on schedule with the development of the 2026 engine. Porsche would only have to contribute its expertise in certain areas.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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Red Bull was the laughing stock of F1 when they took over Jaguar even with their Sauber sponsorship a decade before. An energy drink company trying to race with the big boys??? Hahaha!!
Well, 18 years later, 5 driver championships, 4 constructor championships and another one of each coming their way - this "energy drink" basically carried Formula 1 pre-DTS.
Porsche needs Red Bull, not the other way around. They need to calm their entitled asses down or join F1 as their own team and put in the work to get even half of Red Bull's reputation and pedigree in F1.