Thomas Laudenbach, head of Porsche motorsport, has revealed how “surprised” himself and the German manufacturer were following the sudden speculation that they were going to announce a switch to F1, simply by posting on social media.
On January 16, Porsche weirdly deleted every post from their TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Instagram page, before posting a clip of an old television.
The television initially showed interference, before a person could be seen in the background, with the January 16 date having also been shown.
Fans were left in ecstasy following the post, with many having deciphered the post as a message that they were going to announce a partnership with Williams and Gulf Oil for 2026.
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The person on the TV did weirdly look like Williams founder Frank Williams; however, the post ended up having nothing to do with F1.
Porsche went on to reveal that the page was the company’s new home of motorsport, where they’ll be posting photos and clips from all of their various teams.
It was certainly a hugely anticlimactic moment for several fans, with Laudenbach having found the entire thing “funny”.
“I was so surprised that this happened in public,” he told Motorsport.com.
“It had nothing to do with it [F1]!
“We were just sorting out our [social media] channels, it didn’t have anything to do with coming close to Formula 1. We were as surprised as anyone.
“In a way, it was funny, but I think it’s all clear and sorted now.”
Social media erupted with speculation, to the point where Williams had to release a statement that they weren’t set to announce anything.
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There was a real buzz around the idea of Porsche and Williams announcing a partnership; however, for the time being Laudenbach revealed that the Germans are “happy” with the series they currently compete in.
“You see what happens as soon as anything like this comes up… Right now we concentrate on our programmes, and we have great variety as Porsche Motorsport with IMSA, WEC, Formula E and all our customer sports, which is huge,” Laudenbach added.
“We are flat-out right now and happy with it, and as for anything else, we’ll see.”