Porsche intends to buy half of Red Bull’s Formula 1 team, according to details published in a document submitted to Morocco antitrust regulatory body Conseil de la Concurrence that emerged Wednesday.
The German automaker and Austrian energy drink/motorsport giant have had to seek approval for their long-rumored tie-up from various governments around the world, and Morocco has made the numbers public. The agency was notified of the plan on July 8, according to German site MotorsportTotal.com by way of ESPN.
Porsche and Red Bull reportedly hoped to publicize the news during the Austrian Grand Prix the following weekend, but F1 didn’t ratify the proposed 2026 power unit regulations as it was expected to by then. As Porsche will be assisting Red Bull Powertrains in development and manufacturing, the sports car maker’s investment is contingent on confirmation of the future engine spec.
To its credit, Red Bull isn’t really shying away from acknowledging all of this anymore; to call it even an “open secret” would be conservative. From ESPN:
On Thursday, Red Bull issued a statement to ESPN saying Porsche’s involvement with its F1 team and newly launched powertrain division was still under discussion, but also made reference to the final approval of the 2026 engine regulations, which is expected to be completed by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council in August.
“Further to speculation that has been reported about a potential future involvement from Porsche into Red Bull Powertrains and Red Bull’s Formula One team. As has been previously stated, the companies remain engaged in constructive discussions,” the Red Bull statement said.
“We all are looking forward to the satisfactory finalisation of the FIA’s various sporting, financial and technical regulations for 2026.”
It seems that once those regs — which Porsche and Audi strongly influenced to justify their involvement — are cleared, the partnership should be announced in short order. That could happen as soon as August 4, right at the start of F1's monthlong summer break, according to Motorsport.com.
Key to the forthcoming 2026 rules is a 100-percent reliance on sustainable fuels, a non-negotiable sticking point for the Volkswagen Group brands. The FIA will also eliminate the Motor Generator Unit-Heat component of existing F1 powertrains — or MGU-H as it’s often referred to — that harvests the heat energy from exhaust gases used to spin the turbo. A cost cap will be placed on power unit development as well.
It’s understood that Red Bull’s will be a two-site operation, with the championship-leading team conducting its own development at its headquarters in Milton Keynes, and Porsche working in Germany.