F1: Wolff regrets the Porsche-Red Bull deal fell apart

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff admitted regret that, as things stand, Mercedes will not be going up against one of their German competitors in Porsche – although Audi, also a part of the Volkswagen Group, have announced they will be entering Formula 1 in 2026.

“As a Mercedes representative, I think it’s a shame we can’t fight with Porsche,” said the 50-year-old Austrian.

“Porsche-Red Bull would have been a mega entry, a great brand. For reasons I don’t know, it didn’t work out.

“It would have been great for Formula 1 and for the attractiveness of our sport if that had come about.”

Wolff is unsure whether complete independence from any established manufacturer would work for Red Bull.

“It’s a brave strategy to set up autonomously,” said Wolff, quoted by Motorsport-total.com. “Having your own power unit and not being dependent on an OEM, that’s what Red Bull has always wanted.

“Now it really is – that’s the strategy they have initiated. I’m curious to see how they do with that in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

“It’s clearly setting a new trend and I’m also curious to see if Porsche might come in and brand the engine, or if Honda might do that.”

Red Bull previously had ‘sponsored’ engines during their time powered by Renault, namely watchmaker TAG Heuer from 2016-18.

They also had a technology partnership during that time with Aston Martin, whose branding was displayed on the cars before Lawrence Stroll had transformed the Racing Point team.