Porsche Confirms Considering F1 Return

Porsche Confirms It Is 'Seriously Considering' F1 Return

Porsche are "seriously considering" entering Formula One as an engine supplier, according to the company's chairman.

According to the Associated Press, the luxury car manufacturer would be open to collaborating with an existing team - but also outlined his desire to work with a partner close enough to allow Porsche's engineer's free rein over the project.

"It could be an existing team with whom we already have a connection - like Sauber - or it could be a new collaboration," chairman Matthias Muller told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"The important thing is that the partner has the will and the ability to grow, and of course presents the right economic conditions."

Porsches interest in F1

Porsches interest in F1 follows the success of their LMP1 919 Hybrid car, which won Le Mans this year and has been a dominant force throughout 2015. The new rules for Formula One in 2017 appear to be attracting an increasing number of manufacturers - with Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes all linked with a move to the Grand Prix grid.

If Porsche were to join, it would represent a historic return for the brand to F1 - they last competed in 1962 and won five races with their iconic 917K model.

"We have many criteria that need to be fulfilled," continued Muller. "I'm not talking about money here, but about the capabilities of the [development] process."

"It's about being able to recoup our investment, but also about running at the front from the first year on. In terms of marketing and developing a new automobile brand that would be a huge plus."

Muller insists his company is serious in its pursuit of F1 - pointing out the sport's increased focus towards the environment.

Porsche return to F1

"F1 is a sales platform unlike any other," he said. "Electrification will play a major role in the future, and that fits Porsche like a glove."

Muller added that Porsche would consider returning to Le Mans with prototype machinery if it entered F1 - which would mean competing against the likes of Toyota and Audi.

"We all know how expensive such a project would be," he said. "But we also know what we earn back on the other side."

Porsche return to F1? Porsche, an Austrian car manufacturer famous for their sports cars, have announced that they are seriously considering returning to Formula One as