Porsche's re-entry imminent | The timeline of the car brand in F1

The two car brands that will come to F1 in 2022 both have rich histories, both in racing and in the automotive industry of Europe. Audi raced several Grands Prix before World War II, but at that time the F1 championship as we know it today did not exist. Audi is therefore likely to make its debut in the championship, while Porsche has experience from a very long time ago. It therefore also sounds more logical for Diess to mention that Porsche is already further along in its 2026 F1 plans than Audi.

Porsche as a constructor

In fact, Porsche was already featured as a constructor in Formula 1 in the 1950s. The car design company was founded in 1931 by Ferdinand and his son Ferry Porsche. They were responsible for the birth of the Volkswagen Beetle. Currently, the Porsche car brand is part of the large Volkswagen group. In 1951 Porsche began building sports cars and in 1958 and 1959 they also drove their first Grands Prix. These GPs were races held outside of the championship. It was not until 1960 that Porsche entered certain championship races as a constructor. The team finished seventh that year. The following year, Porsche entered F1 full time.

Jo Bonnier, Hans Herrman and Dan Gurney took their places behind the wheel. It was a good year for the constructor; the year ended in third place. Dan Gurney finished highest in the driver standings with P4. Two more years Porsche actively competed in the championship. In those two years, only one victory came. Gurney took the win at the French GP in 1962. In 1964 Porsche stepped out of F1, they did participate in the test of the German GP. Driver Carel de Beaufort died in this session.

Tag Porsche

After a scant twenty years, Porsche did return to Formula 1. Not as a constructor, but as an engine supplier for McLaren. It was a strong comeback, because in the following four years they did good business in the 68 GPs they drove with McLaren. They won two titles and finished second in the championship twice. After 1987, there was another brief radio silence for Porsche in Formula 1. The automaker did try in 1991 in cooperation with Arrows, but this power unit was too heavy and proved to be totally unreliable.

Over thirty years later, Porsche is expected to try again in Formula 1. The team will be hoping that the years of successful cooperation with McLaren in the 1980s still carry enough weight to be able to enter into a partnership with one of the current teams. Reportedly, Red Bull Racing is the biggest candidate for a partnership. If not, they always have the experience of the 31 GPs they drove in the 1950s and 1960s. Although one hundred percent certain the brand will not return as a constructor.