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Porsche insists it has not abandoned its plans to enter Formula 1.
When the 50% buyout talks with Red Bull recently collapsed, insiders indicated that the VW-owned German carmaker might look to Williams or McLaren instead.
However, reports subsequently suggested that Porsche had, in fact, dropped its F1 ambitions altogether for the start of the new engine regulations in 2026.
And with the FIA's mid-October deadline for 2026 engine entrants now looming large, Porsche CFO Lutz Meschke confirmed to Sport1: "F1 remains an interesting racing series for us. We're looking to see if there are any other viable options.
"But we are not allowing ourselves to be pressured into making a decision that we are not convinced of."
Deadline flexibility
Indeed, it is believed that the FIA has told Porsche that the looming 15 October entry deadline for 2026 may have some flexibility built into it.
The collapse of the Red Bull-Porsche talks was a disappointment for the sport's authorities, but the bright side is there are rumours that Hyundai and Ford may also be looking at potential F1 forays.
"All I can say is that F1 is booming at the moment, so it's a logical step for every manufacturer to think about getting involved," said Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko.
"There are some manufacturers, not only German ones, who are also interested in this."
READ: Audi commits to F1 entry in 2026, motivated by 2030 carbon-neutral goal
In the meantime, Red Bull is pressing ahead with its own engine programme for 2026 - the fully independent Red Bull Powertrains.
At present, however, the Red Bull-branded engines in the back of the Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri cars are simply rebranded Honda units.
Official 'Honda' logos are back on those cars for the remainder of the 2022 season, and rumours are growing that a full resurrection of the works Red Bull-Honda pairing is in the works for 2026.
"We are the prettiest bride in the paddock," Marko laughed.
Max Verstappen said at Suzuka: "It's just great to have the Honda name back on the car.
"Who knows what's going to happen in the future. I'm probably not the right person to speak to about that, but it's nice to have the full name back on the car."
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