Porsche’s varied F1 programmes over the decades nicely illustrate the business development of the series. This may have been an organic process in the championship’s early days but, since its commercial electrification in the late 1960s/70s, that evolution has been steadily more targeted. It’s almost as if the conditions for entry were tailor-made for Porsche…į1 has always adapted to the world in which it exists and making it attractive to participants is at the core of its success. Regardless, Porsche can enhance the power of its brand by participating in F1 – and it will likely make money while doing so. Whether the power unit development concessions are balanced, too restrictive or attractively lenient becomes almost a second-order consideration. The super-strong logic of Porsche buying into an existing team for its new F1 programme becomes almost irresistible when that team is of the calibre of Red Bull. So, with the overall cost cap limited (including now a specific power unit cap) and F1’s income so healthy, for the first time in the championship’s history, every team is a profitable entity. * A power unit cost cap, but with concessions for a new manufacturer on cost and dyno time.īut the clincher has surely been the availability of a plug-in highly competitive team with its own F1 power unit manufacturing facility.Ĭrazy as it sounds for a company of Porsche’s sporting heritage and engineering reputation, it was simply not equipped to ready its own power unit from scratch in time for 2026.

* More standardisation of mechanical parts but freedom to develop the electric part. * The increased electrification (from massively more powerful MGU-K and battery) to align with the automotive marketing push. * The abandoned MGU-H which was such a tricky technology to master, Honda’s initial humiliation probably scaring manufacturers away.

Those pre-conditions for Porsche which have been met by the 2026 regs include:

Mark hughes f1