Christian Horner has clarified on the microphones of Sky Sport F1 how is the situation between Red Bull and Porsche. There is a will to reach an agreement, but the team wants to maintain the essence that has characterized it.
The agreement between Red Bull and Porsche seemed done. The small fringes, as they say, separated the German firm from confirming its entry into Formula 1 at the hands of Dietrich Mateschitz’s team. The path to gestate this movement passed through buy 50% of Red Bull Technology. However, the distance between the two parties has been growing in recent times.
Red Bull wants to maintain its independence and selling 50% of Red Bull Technology means handing over control to Porsche. An idea that Mateschitz himself did not dislike, but that Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and Adrian Newey do not share. For that reason, what seemed like a safe deal has cooled down and Red Bull is contemplating other avenues to shape its future in Formula 1, with or without Porsche.
“They have to decide if they want to join the party or not, but it would have to be within the way we run”
In this sense, Christian Horner has been blunt in the microphones of Sky Sport F1 during the GP of the Netherlands, reinforcing the independence of the team: «Red Bull has always been independent and that has been one of the strengths of the team. It has been the backbone of everything we have achieved. Our ability to move quickly It’s part of the DNA of who we are».
Extending this reasoning in team value, Horner adds that Red Bull “is not a corporately managed organization and that is one of our strengths. The way we manage the racing team is our hallmark and that’s a prerequisite when it comes to defining our future.
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Goodbye to Porsche?
Red Bull Racing does not close the doors to Porsche, but under its conditions, something that happens to maintain this hackneyed independence of the project. Although Christian Horner does not say so outright, Red Bull thinks of Porsche as a technical partner to create your engine and not as an integral part of the team. In this way, the German brand would be a shareholder, but would not have decision-making capacity.
This is how Horner himself slides it, marking very clearly Red Bull’s position before a possible agreement with the firm from Stuttgart: «They [como socios potenciales] they must decide if they want join the party or notbut it would have to be within the form in which we run.
other paths
If finally the agreement between Red Bull and Porsche does not take place, due to the contrary position of each of the parties, the Austrian team is open to working with Honda. The Japanese firm still supplies the engines to both Red Bull and AlphaTauri in a deal that runs until 2025, despite Honda officially leaving the championship last year.
In the event of an eventual return of Honda in 2026 with a new engine program, a very attractive option mutually. The Japanese firm would continue to be linked to Formula 1 and Red Bull would have the technical and financial support to develop this engine in your facilities. However, it cannot be ruled out that Red Bull Powertrains become an independent motorcyclist.
Font: TheRace
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Photos: Red Bull Content Pool