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The Red Bull-Porsche relationship talks are officially over. In a deal that seemed imminent for a long time, a sudden breakdown certainly came as a surprise. What Porsche wanted was an even more inclusive partnership. Red Bull, on the other hand, was more focussed on having the German manufacturer solely as an engine supplier.
Many suggestions have been made that the breakdown of the deal between Red Bull and Porsche is bad for the drinks company or it has even left the German giant embarrassed publicly. To an extent, there is truth in all of them. Overall, however, if we look at it, for the sport of Formula 1, this is the best possible outcome.
Red Bull's long-term future in F1 is reaffirmed
There was some serious speculation about Red Bull's future in F1 once talks of a partnership with Porsche started gaining speed. In essence, Red Bull is a drinks company and has used F1 as a marketing platform.
Having said that, looking at the success that the team has had in the last decade and a half, it would be foolish to call the team a marketing gimmick.
Red Bull is not just a serious team right now, it has the best driver with the best car designer and the best power unit. There were rumors that Porsche had plans to first take a 50% stake in Red Bull and then in due time take over the entire team.
That would essentially have meant the end of the team's presence in the sport. To add to this, the influx of traditional German culture into the dynamic work environment of Red Bull would never have worked.
The Milton Keynes-based squad has made its intentions clear: It is an independent team and it does not intend to lose that control any time soon. For Formula 1, this is great news because Red Bull has more or less started to come into its this season at the front of the grid. To add to it, the team is in no mood to leave the sport in the near future.
Porsche's entry into F1 is more or less certain, the path still needs to be defined
There is no denying that Porsche has left the negotiation table with a black eye. This is not a small company that has faced rejection from a team. This is Porsche! One of the giants of the automobile industry.
The organization was mostly working on cheat codes when it decided to tie up with Red Bull. This would mean that Porsche gets a hold of one of the most efficient operations on the entire grid.
The "Porsche F1 team" would not have had to go through the painful process of struggling that every new constructor has to when joining the sport. Instead, as soon as it entered the sport, everything would be in place already and it would be all systems go for the German giant.
If Porsche had been able to pull it off, that would have been very impressive. As it turns out, it didn't.
Don't expect Porsche to sit silently. The Giant has made up its mind to enter the sport and if it has done that, it will find a way. Audi has already announced its interest and will be starting its journey as an engine supplier.
Porsche, as part of the same parent company, will be weighing its options as it even revealed that the door is not closed upon entry into the sport. Porsche's entry into F1 has hit a massive roadblock. Having said that, keep an eye on the German brand as it tries to figure something out.
Porsche's entry in any other capacity is a boost to the health of the grid
As we mentioned earlier, Porsche was trying to use a cheat code that gave them instant success in F1. More often than not, in this day and age, something like that does not happen. If we try to look at things from a holistic point of view, then Porsche's path to F1 would not have done a great deal for the health of the grid.
The reason behind it comes down to the health of the grid right now. After looking at the way Ferrari has somewhat imploded this season, it does point to the fact that in the current ecosystem, there are still only three teams that have a realistic shot at challenging for the titles.
These teams are Red Bull, Mercedes, and to a lesser extent Ferrari. No other team has the resources or the kind of synergy that these teams enjoy. If Porsche joined the sport as a partner to the Milton Keynes squad, it would not add a team that would have the resources to fight at the front. Rather, it would keep things the same.
If Porsche is joining the grid in 2026 and so is Audi, then we have two more teams that could possibly have the resources and the drive to fight at the front of the grid. Contrary to the three teams that we have at the front right now, we would have 5 with Audi and Porsche joining them.
In terms of the overall health of the sport, five teams fighting for the wins as compared to just three that we have right now would be the ideal scenario for the sport.
All in all, if we look at things from the sport's point of view, it is not a bad thing the Red Bull-Porsche deal did not work out.
