Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, reckons there is still hope for Porsche’s bid to enter Formula 1, and he feels they would be a “great addition” to the sport.
At the start of the year, rumours began circulating that Porsche and their sister company, Audi, were looking for the green light from parent company, Volkswagen, to enter F1 in 2026.
Audi are reportedly close to agreeing a deal to buy Sauber in 2026, while Porsche intended to provide engines to Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
Initially, it was thought that the German motoring giant was going to act only as a supplier to the Austrian and Italian teams, working out of the new engine facility recently constructed in Milton Keynes.
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However, Porsche wanted Red Bull to be more than just a customer; they wanted to become part of the team, so they started purchasing shares.
This worried the hierarchy at the four-time champions, who were concerned that Porsche wanted to take control of the team.
The means of the two entities did not align, so the relationship came to an end, and Porsche, for now, have withdrawn their interest in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Wolff sees the financial benefit of Porsche entering though, so he indicated that he hopes to see the German company on the grid in four years.
“Every large corporation, especially auto companies – not only auto companies, because Red Bull is also pretty good at that – they not only buy the racing team and invest large amounts of money into running it but invest even more into activation, which is beneficial for Formula 1,” he said, quoted by GPFans.
“And if a brand like Porsche that is known all over the world, puts their marketing dollars into activating Formula 1, we will all be benefiting.
“This is the important part. It’s not just about having the team and running it, but in all the markets [there would be] big advertising, big campaigns, putting the brand out there.
“That is why having these big brands in Formula 1 is important.”
Even if the entry has to wait an addition one or two years, the Austrian would be amenable to Porsche coming in.
“I don’t think you need to sign up until 15th October if you want to join another year later,” added Wolff.
“Definitely, it would be accretive to Formula 1 if Porsche would join as well.
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“They just need to figure out if there is another interesting project, if they can buy a team and maybe that is not for ’26.
“Maybe that is ’27 or ’28 but it would be a great addition to the grid in Formula 1.”
Audi will become a works team in 2026, moving Sauber’s operation from Switzerland to Germany.