Williams have denied reports of a potential sale after rumours circulated over the weekend.
After Porsche removed all content from their Formula E Instagram account, posting an image of a frame that many believed to be depicting the late Frank Williams, as well as a message stating “Start your engines. Something big is coming,” F1 fans on social media began to discuss the possibility of the legendary manufacturer buying into Williams racing after reports Dorilton Capital were looking to sell the team.
However such rumours have been squandered, according to Motorsport Week, with a Williams spokesperson saying: “The rumours that Williams Racing is up for sale are inaccurate.
“We are open to discussions regarding the supply of engines with manufacturers from 2026 when the new engine regulations come in.
“We are happy with our relationship with Mercedes and appreciate their efforts.”
Mercedes have supplied Williams with power units ever since the dawn of the turbo- hybrid era in 2014, and have had a good working relationship with one another, as the Grove based squad also takes Mercedes gearboxes and hydraulic components and fielded George Russell for three years before his move to partner Lewis Hamilton in 2022.
Will Porsche Enter F1?
During 2022, it was believed that Porsche would partner up with Red Bull for the new engine regulations in 2026.
However, the deal, which would have seen the VW owned brand purchase half of the organisation which designs and builds Red Bulls F1 cars was a failure amid fears from the leadership of the team ie. Horner, Marko and Newey, about seeding too much power to a manufacturer, given its continued success as an independent.
According to Autosport, Porsche said after it was announced the deal was off: “With the finalised rule changes, the racing series nevertheless remains an attractive environment for Porsche, which will continue to be monitored.”
Despite being incredibly successful with its 919 Hybrid at Le Mans and in the WEC, the German outfit currently does not have capacity at its Motorsport facility to build an F1 power unit for 2026, hence its desire to buy into Red Bull giving it access to its powertrains department.
However, there has been talks of Porsche potentially re- badging Audi’s new for 2026 power unit after it was announced they would be partnering up with Sauber ahead of the new regulations.
And according to reports from The Race, Porsche is still examining other possible alternatives which include Haas and McLaren although said that “we do not see ourselves as being under any time pressure.”
With other major OEMs such as Cadillac, Ford, Honda and Hyundai all potentially looking at a way into F1, it looks as if another manufacturer boom is dawning, and Porsche is certainly still seemingly enticed by a project ahead of 2026.