Why did Red Bull partner with Ford and not Porsche?

History shows that despite dominating sportscar endurance racing and Le Mans over several eras, Porsche has tended to treat F1 with some trepidation, perhaps with a fear of failure. StatsF1 have the Stuttgart marque having started 31 GPs in the early sixties.

American legend Dan Gurney won their only F1 race, the 1962 French Grand Prix at Circuit de Rouen-les-Essarts. Porsche's first F1 race was at the 1958 Dutch Grand Prix and their last also as Zandvoort in 1964.

Thus as a works team, Porsche was hardly a force and kept to GT, sportscar and endurance racing where they were covered in glory regularly. Until a certain Mansour Ojjeh commissioned a Turbo engine from them to power the Ron Dennis-led Woking-based British team.

The TAG Porsche P01 engine was bolted onto McLarens from 1983 to 1987, a period in which the partnership scored 54 podiums, 25 as winners out of the 68 starts. The team won back-to-back F1 Constructors' Titles, while turning Niki Lauda (1984) and Alain Prost (1985 and 1986) into F1 Drivers World Champions.

In other words, there is pedigree at Porsche. During my one-on-one sit down with Doctor Helmut Marko in Graz after the British Grand Prix, I asked him: "Can you give us some insight into how close Red Bull came to an agreement with Porsche as an engine partner?"

Dr Marko replied: "To make our own F1 engine was a brave decision, and also a very costly one. So Mr. Dietrich Mateschitz was worried. First, that we can do it alone. And secondly, about the costs. There had been some interest from other manufacturers who contacted us for cooperation.

"So when Porsche came around, from a marketing point of view, they would have been the ideal partner. In the end, it didn't work out because we had different views. How it should work and if it was a 50/50 partnership it was never going to be easy.

"So, unfortunately, it didn't work out." lamented Marko, who famously won the 1971 Le Mans 24 Hours with Gijs van Lennep, for the Porsche factory team.

Step up Ford to seal the deal that so nearly went to Porsche. Asked, how the 2026 project was developing, Dr. Marko said: "After the decision not to go with Porsche, we found in Ford a very good partner who didn't want to interfere in the racing details because there we are better.

"So we have a partnership where Ford can provide some knowledge and know-how. For example, maybe on the battery side and so on. But they just support and of course financial backing. So it's a good cooperation. At the moment we are on plan with our engine program.

"Everything is on time. But the problem is it's completely new regulations. 50% electrical 50% combustion. So fuel will be a BIG factor. The first time we will be using 100% e-fuel and how quickly you can get the battery into the engine. The final regulations aren't yet there.

"I don't think it will be a game changer like 2014, where Mercedes were 50bhp or more ahead. In the end, you really will see once the engines are running out on track in 2026, but so far we at Red Bull are on plan," reckoned Dr. Marko.