F1 Rumour: Porsche To Take Over Audi Formula One Entry

Is Audi's new F1 team set to rebrand itself?

In a rather unexpected comeback, Porsche could find itself to be a part of the Formula One grid in 2026 after supposedly taking over Audi's F1 operations. That means all the work done so far by Audi will be taken over and rebranded with Porsche badging. 

Toward the end of last year, Porsche put its Formula 1 entry plans on hold after discussions with Red Bull didn't find success reportedly due to the Zuffenhausen manufacturer's unreasonable demands. With this in the rearview, the Milton Keynes outfit signed a deal with Ford as their official powertrains provider replacing Honda.

In Audi's case, the brand began preparations to enter the F1 grid for the 2026 season through the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team, which is set to be rebranded to the name Sauber for two and a half years until the Audi takeover. 

But, not everything has been going smoothly within Audi after the premature exit of their CEO Markus Duesmann who was responsible for bringing the company's F1 project to fruition. 

Unfortunately, his successor, Gernot Döllner, isn't as enthusiastic about the rapidly growing sport. In fact, according to an internal source at Audi, he is even ready to backtrack from the F1 project. As per f1i.autojournal.fr, the VW group would still continue its plans to be a part of Formula 1 in 2026 but without the Audi badge. 

In a surprising twist to the story, the Audi F1 project is rumoured to be taken over by Porsche. And that means Porsche won't have to redo any of the homework already turned in by Audi. It would simply take over the work done by the colleague team and rebrand it with its own logo. 

To direct further resources into F1, Porsche would abandon the Formula E project by the end of 2025. The idea of an abrupt Porsche takeover would definitely make people raise their eyebrows and open their mouths in awe. Not to forget the reactions of the Audi employees who have been working enthusiastically to witness the four rings on an F1 car in 2026. 

However, the Porsche takeover of the Audi F1 operations would not be that quick and easy. There's a long due process that goes behind the scenes to rebrand all the work that has been done so far. The time gap should allow Audi some breathing space to take it all in if the rumor is actually true.