FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem has met with Porsche CEO Oliver Blume to discuss the German manufacturer’s possible entry into Formula 1 in 2026.
Volkswagen chairman Herbert Diess has confirmed that Porsche are aiming to manufacture engines to provide to an existing team on the grid in four years and, due to the complications of building and, more importantly, developing an engine in F1, he affirmed that their subsidiary have given themselves “three or four years” to make sure they are ready for a team to accept their supply.
The main target is reported to be Red Bull, whose team principal Christian Horner has affirmed it would be “logical” to open up discussions on the matter.
READ: Horner suggests it would be ‘logical’ for Red Bull to partner with Porsche
Ben Sulayem headed to Stuttgart in Germany to talk to Blume about his company’s plans in motorsport.
“With Porsche CEO Oliver Blume in Stuttgart today, talking about the iconic firm’s current and future commitment to motor sport,” he tweeted.
Audi have also been given the green light by parent company Volkswagen to pursue avenues into the pinnacle of motorsport, and they are thought to be interested in purchasing Aston Martin after their attempts at acquiring McLaren fell at the wayside.
There is still a possibility that the two parties may come together to form a new entry, with Audi building the chassis and Porsche supplying the power, but a new entry into the sport would change the pay structure among the teams, as everyone would naturally be given a smaller sum of prizemoney because of the extra division.
This is the reason for the tentativeness surrounding Michael Andretti’s interest in joining the pinnacle of motorsport, and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has asserted that the American would need to prove his team would be “bringing in more than it is actually costing.”
Horner tends to agree, adding that Liberty Media should adjust the pay scheme if they are interested in adding more teams.
“Money is ultimately going to be a significant factor,” he said.
“I see a question, really for the promoter, that if they want more teams, they’re obviously going to have to dilute their share of the fund, because it would be unfair to expect the other teams to pay for the additional new entrants to come in indirectly.
“I think it’s great that there’s the interest from new brands, and a team like Andretti, a great name, but I think it’s something that, with [F1 owner] Liberty [Media], it’s their business model that they need to work out for the future.”
Andretti also got a chance to get hold of ben Sulayem in Miami at the last race, and he revealed that the 14-time East Rally champion is behind the idea of another American team.
“I think he’s in support, but there’s a big process that’s got to go through and all that stuff,” he said during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
“He said he’s in support in the process. There’s still a long way to go. But it’s nice, Mohammed liked what we presented.
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“I don’t want to say too much, they don’t want to talk about it too much. But [there have been] positive things.”
While Porsche and Audi have pinpointed 2026 as an entry date, Andretti Global have applied to have a team on the grid in 2024.