There is more than one way forward for Porsche, still interested in entering Formula 1 in view of the motoring revolution of 2026. The prestigious German brand, according to rumors, should have joined Red Bull with an agreement which provided for the acquisition a meaningful participation in the team. The talks with the world champions then went on for months but no agreement has been reached official due to the will on the part of the Red Bull di to maintain a certain independencewithout losing its leading position. Which, with a partnership involving a 50% acquisition, would not have been possible.
From the day of the announcement of failure of the agreements, very little has emerged about Porsche's future plans regarding entry into Formula 1. However, according to reports from The Race, Porsche would have declared that there are still "possible alternatives" that it would be evaluating to enter the Circus.
The alternatives for Porsche
Unlike Audi, who got a deal with Sauber from 2026, securing a strategic partner and grid access by deadline of the FIA, Porsche remained behind but continuing to look around. Even the FIA president himself, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, insisted in October following the World Motor Sport Council that Porsche was still in discussions with the F1 teams for an entry. Teams like Williams, Haas, but above all McLaren, which saw its team leave a few weeks ago main team towards Hinwil, they would be interested in a collaboration with Porsche. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty about Williams, the other most likely of the three together with McLaren.
As reported by PlanetF1 McLaren CEO Zak Brown has discussed a possible switch from Mercedes to Porsche engines for the 2026 season.”Volkswagen, which owns Porsche and Audi, has made clear it is looking to partner Porsche with an existing team rather than creating its own and could even come in solely as an engine supplier”. Brown has always said in interviews that he is happy with Mercedes engines, and that there would be no reason to abandon them. However, he has not even hidden that he has important contacts and acquaintances. Furthermore, history already tells us of a collaboration between the two brands in Formula 1, in the 80s.
The other teams interested in F1
Formula 1, with the new technical regulations, with the increase in popularity especially in the United States has become very attractive for new investors, and this also thanks to more bureaucratic maneuvers that have divided public opinion a bit, such as the budget cap that put all teams in front of the same opportunities and challenges. Formula 1 itself knows it can gain prestige with the entry of quality brands. It is therefore not surprising the interest of other brands such as Andretti, Ford, Hyundai, Honda, and others named by The Race.
As far as Ford is concerned, the interest would be linked mainly to marketing purposes and would therefore not provide real technical support. Hard to say if Red Bull would accept a similar partnership. The possibility of seeing Hyundai in the Circus, in which it would place itself as an inexperienced brand, are however more distant, certainly not in the short term. It will probably also depend on F1's next move regarding its sustainability plan.
The ambitions of the Andretti family for a return to F1 as a team are now known. "Andretti Global" had applied to the FIA for entry into Formula 1 from the 2024 season, however, the proposal did not find the hoped-for reception, especially from competitor teams, even if interest remained quite high. The Andretti family, however, has a plan to enter, so much so that they have started work on the construction of a new operational headquarters, to convince even the most skeptical. If he manages to enter the Circus, he would do so by mounting a Renault engine and with the dream of a pair of drivers formed by his Indy protégé, Colton Herta, and Fernando Alonso.
