F1: Audi and Porsche will not collaborate on F1 projects

Audi and Porsche have decided to keep their F1 projects “completely separate”.

The Volkswagen Group companies are both set to enter F1 in 2026. Audi confirmed a standalone engine project on Friday morning.

It is not yet known if the manufacturer will act as an engine supplier or run its own team like Mercedes. The announcement they are entering F1 as an engine supplier did not, strangely enough, include Sauber, which could indicate those talks broke down.

“I want to officially announce that Audi has officially registered as PU (power unit) Formula One manufacturer. So in 2026, we will start racing in F1,” Audi chief executive Markus Duesmann said at the Belgian Grand Prix, which takes place over the coming weekend.

Porsche will soon announce their deal with Red Bull and potentially buying 50% of the Red Bull Technology company that builds the cars for Red Bull Racing.

Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said: “We raced Porsche in Le Mans with completely separate operations and in this case as well we will have completely separate operations.

“We will have our operations in Germany and if Porsche enters they will have their operations in the UK.”

Duesmann admitted there was a “huge discussion” about how to manage the dual programs but as “both our brands have a lot of fans and both our brands have their special character, we decided to keep it completely separate and do two operations”.

“We have several reasons. We will have different teams and the powertrain has to be designed especially for the chassis.

“That’s why we decided to split it because we will have completely different chassis. And so completely different powertrains.”