Red Bull adviser, Dr Helmut Marko, has all but confirmed that there has been a U-Turn in the team’s deal with Porsche.
The German motoring giant was given the green light by parent company, Volkswagen, to enter Formula 1 in 2026 along with its sister manufacturer, Audi.
The latter is set to take over the Sauber Group in four years, moving the operation from Switzerland to Germany, and become a full works team.
This is unlike Sauber’s relationship with Alfa Romeo, who are operating as a business partner, rather than possessing a controlling interest.
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Red Bull had initially bought Honda’s intellectual property ahead of this season, and were planning to make their own engines in 2022, but they did not have the facilities, so their power units are still being made in Japan by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).
Throughout the year, Red Bull have been working on a new engine facility in Milton Keynes, in which they are planning to construct their own engines under the new technical regulations that will arrive in 2026.
They had their first engine fire-up a few weeks back, but there is still a possibility that they might outsource their engines again when the new engine era begins.
The manufacturer they would outsource to was looking likely to be Porsche, who recently filed paperwork to purchase 50 percent of Red Bull Technologies.
However, there were reports of fear in the Austrian team that Porsche wanted too much control, and that the shares they were buying could be indicative of a hostile takeover.
In the end, the two parties do not seem to have agreed on how many shares are too many, so the German company will not be purchasing stakes in Red Bull.
“Porsche will not become a shareholder with us,” Dr Marko told Sport1.
Team principal, Christian Horner, suggested that, as a private team that is set to win its 11th title this season, Red Bull do not need to marry anyone and bring them into their house.
As for the engines, the Briton is confident that his team are on course to becoming a works outfit in 2026 having acquired engineers and mechanics from elsewhere in the paddock that specialise in power units.
“We are an independent team, that is the way we have always operated in terms of being flexible and the ability to move quickly and efficiently,” explained Horner, quoted by GPFans.
“That is part of the DNA of what Red Bull is, the Powertrains is obviously a different challenge.
“Of course, if there was a partner to potentially look at working with on the Powertrains, that would make logical sense.
“Our position is that obviously, the team is the biggest marketing asset globally for Red Bull.
“Why would we compromise that for the long-term? 2026, we are fully committed.
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“We have recruited some of the best talent in F1, we have created a factory within 55 weeks with fully commissioned dynos.
“We are on a really exciting trajectory that isn’t dependent on outside involvement or investment, if there is strategically the right partner, then, of course, it is something the group would be interested in.”
Max Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc and team-mate Sergio Perez by 109 points in the Drivers’ Standings, while Red Bull are 135 points clear of Ferrari in the teams’ battle going into the final seven rounds of the 2022 season.