“We were miles ahead”: Christian Horner reveals why the Red Bull-Porsche deal fell through
Red Bull were left stranded by Honda when the Japanese manufacturer announced its decision to leave the sport. Amid this, the reports of Porsche joining F1 as an engine supplier started circulating in the paddock. Christian Horner has now come out and revealed why the deal fell through.
Following Honda’s decision to pull away from F1 in the early 2020s, Christian Horner and Co. decided to set up their own power unit manufacturing, named Red Bull PowerTrains. However, in 2022, reports of German manufacturer Porsche wanting to join hands with the Milton Keynes-based outfit came out.
Ultimately, the deal didn’t go through because the German manufacturer wanted to acquire a 50% stake in the team. However, that wasn’t the only reason. Christian Horner, speaking with Autosport in an interview, detailed how Red Bull were far ahead of Porsche in terms of development.
“You know, within a year we had our first prototype engine up and running but I think there was still some some nerves within within the group within Austria that you know really could we produce a competitive engine,” explained Horner
“Then Porsche suddenly came as a possibility and I think in Dietrich Mateschitz’s mind by this stage, he wasn’t in great shape but he saw the benefit of the Porsche brand. An amazing brand, Red Bull Porsche, was really premium. They had, you know, they make engines we don’t, and so we explored that.”
“I went to Weissach and saw some of their facilities and recognized that we were miles ahead of what we were doing in preparation for Formula 1 than where they were. And it felt like there was going to be a lot of compromises bringing these two entities together. Challenges in the direction of a 50/50 partnership. So, um, that deal didn’t go through in the end.”
Christian Horner on why Red Bull chose Ford over Porsche
Red Bull announced in 2023 that Ford will partner with the RBPT for the 2026 regulations, providing support. Christian Horner, speaking with Autosport, explained how the Ford deal came about, and the key factor that led to the Milton Keynes outfit choosing the American manufacturer over Porsche.
“Ford Motor Company were looking at Formula 1 at the time. And I went to Detroit and had a meeting with Bill Ford and Jim Farley. And straight away you could see there was an enthusiasm for them to come,” said Horner
“Having been involved in the team in its previous iteration, Bill Ford said to me, ‘We’re going to let you guys; you’re the specialists. The learnings that we had from our last experience are that we don’t want to overinvolve ourselves in your business. How can we help you? How can we support you?” Horner explained explained
The Red Bull PowerTrains (RBPT) won its first F1 race at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, and also won the very next race in Singapore.
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