Christian Horner explains why huge potential Red Bull partnership collapsed

Christian Horner has explained why Red Bull's proposed partnership with Porsche for the 2026 power unit regulations never materialised, detailing how the collapse paved the way for Ford's arrival instead.

Red Bull spent part of 2022 in discussions with Porsche over a tie-up built around the new engine rules, which did away with the costly MGU-H and introduced a near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power. 

The Volkswagen-owned manufacturer saw the new regulations as its route into Formula 1, and initial conversations progressed as far as Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz exploring the idea with Porsche and Horner visiting its base in Weissach.

But the deal ultimately fell through, with Porsche's demand for a 50 percent stake in Red Bull Technology proving a sticking point. Horner, speaking to Autosport, said there was hesitation within the group over whether Red Bull could build a competitive engine on its own, before Porsche emerged as an option.

"I think there were still some nerves within the group within Austria that, really, could we produce a competitive engine?" Horner said.

"And then Porsche suddenly came as a possibility, and I think in Dietrich's mind, by this stage, he wasn't in great shape. But he saw the benefit of the Porsche brand, an amazing brand. A Red Bull-Porsche was really premium.

"They make engines, we don't, and so we explored that. And I went to Weissach and saw some of their facilities and recognised that we were miles ahead in terms of what we were doing in preparation for Formula 1 compared with where they were, and it felt like there were going to be a lot of compromises bringing these two entities together, with perhaps challenges in the direction of a 50-50 partnership.

"And so that deal didn't go through in the end. But we needed a partner because it was a big burden. I was very conscious, in turning the Porsche deal down, that the whole engine [programme] was sitting on Red Bull's hands."

Why Ford left Christian Horner immediately impressed

With Red Bull Powertrains shouldering the cost of both retaining Honda's technical support and developing its own 2026 engine, alongside running teams, the outfit's former team principal turned his attention to Detroit. 

There, Ford was weighing a return to the sport, with Horner having been left immediately impressed by the American manufacturer's enthusiasm.

The agreement was formally announced in February 2023, with Ford contributing expertise on electrification, battery architecture and control software while Red Bull Powertrains retained managerial independence over the project.

Horner added: "Not only were they (Red Bull) paying for Honda to stay in Formula 1, they were paying to build their own engine [for 2026], and of course, Red Bull also has two grand prix teams, and so Ford Motor Company were looking around Formula 1 at the time, and I went to Detroit and had a meeting with Bill Ford and Jim Farley, and straight away you could see there was an enthusiasm for them to come.

"And having been involved in the team in its previous iteration, Bill Ford said to me, 'We're going to let you guys... You're the specialists. The learnings that we had from our last experiences, we don't want to over-involve ourselves in your business. How can we help you? How can we support you?'

"And so that partnership got going in time for the '23 season."