Porsche and Audi want to enter Formula 1 with their own teams in 2026

Rumors are circulating in Germany that Audi intends to buy McLaren and Porsche in order to enter into an intensive partnership with Red Bull Racing, which Porsche will either rename itself to RBR or its subsidiary Alpha Tauri.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that “Audi and Porsche don’t just want to be engine suppliers, they want to start with their own teams in Formula 1 from 2026”.

Last November, McLaren described rumors that they had accepted a takeover bid from the Volkswagen Group on behalf of Audi as “completely untrue”. However, the rumors persist and intensify as German broadcaster n-tv reports that “negotiations with McLaren and Red Bull are at an advanced stage”.

Of course, entering F1 with two teams will require a much higher budget – although Porsche and Audi will share the costs of developing the hybrid powertrains and their know-how.

According to the RTL network, the management of the VW Group will be ready for the issue at the end of February, and based on their decisions, the announcement will follow, which after months of gossip will clarify the official plans of the Germans for F1.

RBR’s relationship with Honda

At the same time, the possible announcement of a possible collaboration between RBR and Porsche in 2026 to cause a rift in the Milton Keynes team’s relationship with Honda is not excluded.

Honda officially left F1 after the last Abu Dhabi GP, but continues to develop the 2022 engine on behalf of the newly formed company Red Bull Powertrains, giving all copyrights to the Austrian company.

It has also agreed to provide RBP with significant know-how over the next three years and to proceed with the construction of the power plant units. So it remains to be seen how a possible deal with Porsche will affect this cordial relationship between the two sides, even if it will be in 2026.