Porsche could return to Formula 1

[TusharK]

Porsche is considering a return to Formula 1, not as a factory team but as an engine supplier. According to Lutz Meschke - Deputy Chairman at Porsche, the German company could return to the sport after new regulations are introduced in 2021.



Meschke reportedly met the Formula 1 management at the Italian Grand Prix. Reports also mention that some Porsche representatives have attended meetings to discuss the 2021 F1 engine regulations. Meschke went on to confirm that the German sports car brand has no intentions to enter as a factory team.

Porsche had recently announced their exit from the World Endurance Championship to enter the Formula E for the 2019 season. The brand has been away from Formula 1 since the end of the 1991 season. Soon, Porsche would join the likes of Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Renault and Honda as an engine supplier.

Source: Motorsport

[jfxavier]

An initial meeting of 2021 Power Unit Working Group was held in March which was attended by VW (parent company of Porsche).
The follow up meeting was in July with previous attentees, plus representatives from Aston Martin, Cosworth, Zytek and Magneti Marelli etc. too.
Possible that the F1 management wants many standard parts or even a "customer" PU which will make things easy for racing teams to manage.

In any case it's looking like the manufacturers are more interested in the proposed F1 2021 PU which is supposed to move towards a more simple design, compared to the technical nightmare that it is right now.
Hopefully will see many more big names in F1 in the future.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Possible that the F1 management wants many standard parts or even a "customer" PU which will make things easy for racing teams to manage.

In any case it's looking like the manufacturers are more interested in the proposed F1 2021 PU which is supposed to move towards a more simple design, compared to the technical nightmare that it is right now.
Hopefully will see many more big names in F1 in the future.

This sounds like a regressive move. What's next? Standardized Chassis and Bodywork?
Formula1 has become boring over the years thanks to cost cutting measures like no pitstop re-fuelling, Vacuum Cleaner Sounding-Engines & excessive rules etc.

The only thing that can revive it to it's earlier glory is 'creative freedom'.

Manufacturers should be given freedom to come up with creative designs in both the Powertrain and Aero/Chassis fields, just like how it was in the 70s and 80s.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Porsche is considering a return to Formula 1, not as a factory team but as an engine supplier.

Porsche had better think it through if they're ready for it, have the talent and the required resources. Whatever the regulations will be or have been, this is a brutally competitive sport.

Someone with a lot of experience in F1 like Honda is currently suffering & at the receiving end of a lot of bad jokes. In fact, brands like Honda, Jaguar etc. suffered an erosion of their brand equity after entering Formula 1.

Presence for the sake of presence & ending up at the back of the grid can become a nightmare. Better to watch from the sidelines instead.

[jfxavier]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

This sounds like a regressive move. What's next? Standardized Chassis and Bodywork?
Formula1 has become boring over the years thanks to cost cutting measures like no pitstop re-fuelling, Vacuum Cleaner Sounding-Engines & excessive rules etc.

The only thing that can revive it to it's earlier glory is 'creative freedom'.

Manufacturers should be given freedom to come up with creative designs in both the Powertrain and Aero/Chassis fields, just like how it was in the 70s and 80s.

The cost of PU and the forced dependence on a manufacturer to just be on the grid is what many pure racing teams wants to avoid.
The FIA and FOM also wants to see the old times when some firm like Cosworth could supply engines with decent level of performance to anyone in short notice.
The living proof is Honda. it's not like they had forgotten how to make a Formula1 engine.
Just that the game had moved on so far ahead so soon.

Originally Posted by GTO

Porsche had better think it through if they're ready for it, have the talent and the required resources. Whatever the regulations will be or have been, this is a brutally competitive sport.

Someone with a lot of experience in F1 like Honda is currently suffering & at the receiving end of a lot of bad jokes. In fact, brands like Honda, Jaguar etc. suffered an erosion of their brand equity after entering Formula 1.

Presence for the sake of presence & ending up at the back of the grid can become a nightmare. Better to watch from the sidelines instead.

Honda has been very candid in admitting their shortfalls in producing a competent PU.
But that hasn't helped them win races.
Now it seems like McLaren wants to move on & get a Renault PU.
The kind of damage that will cause for Honda's image and self esteem is humongous.
I still hope that the whole fiasco was a show put up just before the Honda board meeting happening this week to ensure better funding for the project.

[ads11]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

The only thing that can revive it to it's earlier glory is 'creative freedom'.

Manufacturers should be given freedom to come up with creative designs in both the Powertrain and Aero/Chassis fields, just like how it was in the 70s and 80s.

Well for a very brief period that's indeed what we got in the flagship LMP1 class of the WEC what with the many different approaches of the top teams. petrol V8 hybrid in the Toyota. Diesel, turbo V6 in the Audi. Turbo V4 in the Porsche. Front wheel drive fly wheel hybrid in the brief Nissan spell! But look what's happened, partly a consequence of diesel-gate, but the WEC faces the prospect of not haivng a flagship class at all as the costs of the premiere teams ran up to the F1 numbers with nowhere near the exposure of F1, beyond Le Mans itself.

People can call it hubris on the part of F1, but one only needs to see that even with fans grumbling, it goes to show that people are invested to a degree, enough for them to gripe about parts of the sport they dislike. Manufacturers may be jumping into the cheaper Formula E but it has nowhere near the fan engagement it really needs and any talk of it swallowing up F1 is massively premature methinks.

Engine partner entry could be very very attractive for manufacturers. In Red Bull and Mclaren you have two privateer teams with the infrastructure on the chassis side needed to go toe to toe with the full integrated factory efforts from Ferrari and Mercedes, and to a lesser extent Renault. Heck, I would love to see a factory engine supplier coming in to partner Williams and see them back up at the sharp end of the grid. It all becomes clear then that these new PU negotiations could be critical and I can think of no better man to have at the helm for these than Ross Brawn. He's got such an enormous cache of respect and power within the sport he won't be easily bullied and he's been around long enough to see the big picture with regards to what's in the best interests.

I mean Porsche could leverage their old ties with Mclaren, Mansour was instrumental in bringing them aboard the first time round, though Mclaren might institutionally have PTSD from going back to an ex of theirs!

Red Bull could come good with Honda. They could go Porsche, given how much they tried to woo the VAG the first time with Audi entry. Personally I don't see the point of 2 VW group companies involved in the sport given how fiscally challenged they are in the aftermath of the emissions scandal.

Ford could very well scale up their Ecoboost or run it in F1. They'd probably instantly partner with Haas to have a Red White and Blue team (Ferrari at this point could afford to lose Haas as their defacto B-team in all but name because they will have Sauber). Hinwil isn't that far from Maranello after all.

Aston is one I don't want to see enter as an engine partner but that's again another opportunity. Toyota too could opt to go in as an engine manufacturer if it winds up it's LMP1 programme given the total lack of factory competition.

On paper then there's endless possibilities for a whole range of marques to re-enter the sport.