The deal between Porsche and Red Bull has fallen through. Christian Horner explains why this is not a problem for Red Bull, but was even necessary. What’s behind this deal that got blown up? Go to the bookmaker’s website to know what to expect and bet on your favorite team.
According to rumors, the deal between Porsche and Red Bull to develop the new engines for 2026 was considered as good as done before the Germans announced its failure in Monza after all. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner contradicts these reports: “There were only talks. Nothing was ever signed and there was no agreement. But I don’t want to go into detail about how these discussions went.” Horner cannot understand why the Zuffenhausen-based company allegedly assumed that an agreement would be reached soon: “Large organizations need a lot of planning, so they probably planned something. There was never a binding contract between the two parties. So it had to be based on their subjective perception.”
The rejection of the potential collaboration came from Red Bull itself, as Horner explains, “There was an expression of interest and our shareholders considered it. But they then decided it wasn’t right for Red Bull.” That’s why the Briton doesn’t have a bad word to say about the German sports car manufacturer: “Porsche is great, so it was only natural to discuss with them and explore options. In the end, it was that we wouldn’t have benefited strategically.” However, quite a bit of time passed before this decision was made, as Horner admitted: “The debates went on for six to seven months. We came to our conclusion: the decision was that we didn’t want to continue with it.”
Red Bull strategy: everything under one roof in Milton Keynes
But what does Red Bull’s strategy look like without Porsche? Horner proudly put it on record: “Red Bull’s direction is clear. We decided to embark on a new adventure after Honda withdrew from Formula 1. Part of it, of course, was the homologated engine, which allows us to finish the current rule period. We have built a factory in Milton Keynes and have already recruited some of the sport’s top talent. There are already 300 employees there in a state-of-the-art factory. We had the first prototype for a V6 engine for 2026 up and running before the summer break.”