porsche is one of those names that, in any part of the world, makes one think engines, speed and sports cars: the company from Stuttgart, Germany, created by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931, has introduced various iconic models throughout history and also produced many triumphs in the world of motorsport. However, in Formula 1 he has never pushed as hard as one of his German competitors. Mercedes Benz.
Porsche, however, majority shareholder of the Volkswagen group of which he is a part, plans to land in F1: documents presented in Morocco proving the purchase of 50% of Red Bull Technology by Porsche, what is supposed to have to do with it arrival of Porsche in F1 in 2026;when the next one happens major regulatory change of the category, in association with the successful Red Bull teamin which I would provide the amplifiers.
If Porsche does make a presence in F1, it can be expected to do so in a big way, in a different way than its previous forays into the Great Circus. we review his history in Formula 1.
The history of Porsche in Formula 1
The beginnings with sporadic entries
While BMW appeared in F1 in the early seasons, with cars (from private teams) derived from their chassis and engines and Mercedes entered in 1954 and was champion in his first two years, with Juan Manuel Fangio, before leaving the sport, only in 1957 The first traces of Porsche can be found in Formula 1.
That’s about it three Porsche 550 Spyders, according to Formula 2 regulationswho participated in German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, that of Fangio’s epic triumph with Maserati. The best Porsche was that of Germany’s Edgar Barth who finished 12th out of 24 competitors. In 1958 there were other sporadic appearances with them Modified Porsche 718under the name RSK Mittellenker: Barth finished sixth in that year’s German GP, again under F2 regulations.
The 1961 rule change
Porsche had good results in the Formula 2 cars with the 718/2 and had little intention of moving up to Formula 1, but the rule change that came into effect in 1961with 1.5 liter engines At best, it made him jump: Suddenly Porsche could compete on an equal footing with his car.
That year Porsche introduced its official team with the Swedes Joe Bonnier and the American Dan Gurney as pilots, except for two appearances by the German Hans Herrmann. It used the chassis of the 718 but also the 787, a failed development involving Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, grandson of the company founder and later designer of the popular Porsche 911. They won no races, but Gurney achieved three second-place finishes in eight appearances and they are done third in the constructors’ championship.
The only triumph: France 1962
The 1962 season saw Porsche again with Bonnier and Dan Gurney: they were done fifth in the constructors’ championship with the appearance of a new model, the Porsche 804eventually a car designed exclusively for Formula 1who wore one eight-cylinder boxer engine.
A historic milestone came with this car: Porsche’s only victory in F1, with the Dan Gurney wins the French Grand Prix held in Rouen-Les-Essarts. Later Gurney’s victory was repeated in Stuttgartbefore the Porsche people and with Bonnier in second place, but in a non-scoring match. Also, at the German Grand Prix Gurney scored pole position and reached the podium despite the mechanical problem.
The end of the Porsche team
When the Stuttgart house was at its best in Formula 1, it decided to leave: did not attend the 1962 season finale at the South African Grand Prix and he didn’t even register for the 1963 season. F1 was expensive and not good for developing sports cars from the factory, so Ferry Porsche decided to leave her.
In 1963 the Dutch Carel Godin de Beauforta Porsche fanatic who always used the company’s cars for his sporting forays, scored points in the drivers’ championship as he had done the previous year with the Porsche 718, in a private initiative. In 1964 he returned to appear with that Porsche in the Dutch GP and the German GP. That was goodbye.
The successful engine partnership with McLaren in the 1980s
In the mid-1980s, the McLaren team dominated Formula 1: they were champion pilots 1984 with Niki Lauda and 1985 and 1986 with Alain Prost and also earned the 1984 and 1985 Constructors’ Championshipssomething that had not been achieved since 1974.
It did this in collaboration with Porsche, which arrived at the age of turbo engines (something I’ve had experience with since the 70s) to give immediate solutions. The 1.5 liter turbocharged six-cylinder bears the name of the company TAGthe one who funded it, and between 1983 and 1987 he achieved 25 victories in 68 Grands Prix.
The partnership ended in 1988when Honda stepped in as a driver for McLaren after their success with Williams.
The failure of the Footwork Arrows engine project in the 90s
Porsche’s last foray into Formula 1, 30 years ago, was not a good one. The factory created Porsche 3512 engine, 3.5 liter V12 which had problems in its development and weighed between 30 and 50 kg more than those of its competitors from Honda and Ferrari.
The client was the British team Arrows for legswho dreamed of being able to aim high with Porsche engines but ended up breaking them up after the sixth game of the season- I prefer to go back to the Cosworth V8 engines from previous seasons. Not only did they not add points, they usually did they didn’t even make the necessary time in qualifying to be able to start the race. Also, the engines suffered continuous breakages.
After this resounding failure, Porsche never returned to Formula 1.
