Porsche F1 Logo

Historic

Porsche

German

  • Porsche AG Official Name
  • Stuttgart, Germany Base
  • 1961 F1 Debut
  • n/a Team Boss
  • n/a Technical Chief
  • 0 World Championships

Despite Ferdinand Porsche’s legacy of designing Grand Prix cars for Mercedes and Auto Union in the 1920s and 1930s, Porsche AG never became a works team in single-seater racing during this era.

Notable Team Members and Drivers

Dan Gurney: Gurney drove for Porsche in Formula One during the early 1960s. He achieved Porsche’s first and only F1 win as a constructor at the 1962 French Grand Prix, driving the Porsche 804.

Jo Bonnier: The Swedish driver was another key figure for Porsche in Formula One, racing with the team for several seasons but never achieving the same level of success as Gurney.

Ferdinand Porsche: Although better known for his role in founding the Porsche automotive brand, Ferdinand Porsche would see the company run a motorsport division, including in Formula One, both as an engine supplier and constructor.

In the late 1950s, the two-seater Porsche 718 RSK was adapted for Formula 2 by moving to a single-seat variation, eventually leading to the development of a proper single-seater version. These 1500 cc cars achieved some success and were promoted to Formula One in 1961, where the design struggled to compete.

In 1962, the marque introduced the flat-eight-powered Porsche 804, which gave Porsche its sole victory as a constructor in a championship race, with Dan Gurney winning the French Grand Prix and achieving another triumph in a non-championship race in Stuttgart. However, Porsche exited F1 at the end of the 1962 season, citing high costs and a lack of interest from Volkswagen and local suppliers, as F1’s relevance to road cars was minimal. Private teams continued to use the older Porsche 718 in F1 until 1964.

Porsche returned triumphantly to Formula 1 in 1983 after a nearly twenty-year break, supplying McLaren with V6 turbo engines branded as TAG, thanks to funding from the electronics firm. Despite the engines being wide for F1’s aerodynamic demands, the partnership yielded two constructors’ championships and three drivers’ championships between 1984 and 1987, with the engines delivering 25 race wins. Despite their success, the TAG-Porsche engines weren’t the most powerful, lacking the high turbo boost capabilities of their rivals, and no special qualifying engines were developed. However, McLaren still managed several pole positions and front-row starts.

Porsche made another comeback in 1991 as an engine supplier with the Footwork Arrows team. However, the team were unsuccessful, plagued by the overweight and underpowered Porsche 3512 engine, leading to Porsche’s withdrawal from F1 again.

Decades later, during the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Porsche hinted at a return to Formula 1, contrasting Audi’s stance that F1 was not a suitable platform for them.

In May 2022, the Volkswagen Group announced Porsche and Audi’s planned entry into F1, with Porsche seeking to acquire a 50% stake in Red Bull Racing. Despite initial approvals and trademark registrations hinting at Porsche’s F1 ambitions, negotiations with Red Bull collapsed, and sadly by March 2023, Porsche confirmed it would not join Formula 1 in 2026.

Porsche Formula One World Championship Records

First entry1957 German Grand Prix
Races entered32
Constructors’ Championships0
Drivers’ Championships0
Race victories1
Podiums5
Points269
Pole positions1
Fastest laps0
Final entry1962 United States Grand Prix

Porsche Championship Results

The World Constructor’s Championship was not awarded until 1958.

YearNameCarDriversPointsWCC
1957*PorschePorsche RS550Edgar Barth
Umberto Maglioli
1958*PorschePorsche RSKEdgar Barth0NC
1959PorschePorsche 718
Behra-Porsche RSK (F2)
Wolfgang von Trips
Maria Teresa de Filippis
0
0
NC
NC
1960PorschePorsche 718Hans Herrmann
Edgar Barth
17th
1961PorschePorsche 718
Porsche 787
Jo Bonnier
Dan Gurney
Hans Herrmann
Edgar Barth
223rd
1962PorschePorsche 804
Porsche 718
Jo Bonnier
Dan Gurney
Phil Hill
185th
*1957 and 1958 are represented as Formula Two entries

Porsche Drivers

Driver Nationality Current/Last Team F1 Debut Status
German Ferrari 1956 British Grand Prix Died
Swedish Ecurie Bonnier 1956 Italian Grand Prix Died
American McLaren 1959 French Grand Prix Died
American Eagle 1971 Austrian Grand Prix Died, F1 Legend