What We Know About Porsche's Buy-In Of Red Bull Racing

Although the partnership has yet to be formally announced, some major details have emerged about Porsche's plans to acquire a major stake in Red Bull Racing. The move will likely see the German sports car manufacturer's entry into the world of Formula One and may see the current constructor championship leaders pull further ahead of the pack once Porsche adds their technical contributions to the team. This isn't Porsche's first foray into the racing world. The company currently has a Formula E team and produces vehicles for a number of high-level events. Those vehicles include the new Porsche 963 — the company's most expensive consumer car ever. Although it has yet to make its debut, the 963 is expected to pop up in a number of top-level endurance races, including next year's 24 hours of Le Mans.

Red Bull's racing team first emerged in 2005 and has achieved remarkable things in Formula One since then. The team has racked up four constructors' championships and snagged five drivers' championships over the past 16 seasons (via F1). Notable drivers who have stepped into a set of Red Bull overalls include current world champion Max Verstappen, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Mark Webber, and David Coulthard (via F1). This season may see Red Bull take its fifth constructor's title and sixth drivers' championship. The team currently sits at the top of the table, 82 points ahead of second-place Ferrari. Verstappen also has a healthy 62-point lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who currently occupies second place in the drivers' standings. Although it hasn't been indicated in the documents filed by Porsche and Red Bull, the deal is also likely to have a major effect on Red Bull's feeder team Alpha Tauri.

As part of the acquisition, Red Bull and Porsche have filed documents containing early details from the deal in Morocco. An official announcement isn't expected until next month, but the documents filed by the company contain plenty of details. This isn't a standard leak either — as the documents are a legal requirement, those details are guaranteed to be accurate.

Porsche intends to acquire 50% of Red Bull Technology. Although the technology side of things is the only thing mentioned in the documents, Porsche is also expected to acquire half of the brand's Formula One racing team as part of a 10-year partnership between the two entities. Although Porsche's engines may end up in Alpha Tauri's cars in the near future, the Stuttgart-based company is not acquiring any shares in Red Bull's sister team (via Autosport).

This isn't Porsche's first F1 stint; its last involvement in the sport occurred in 1991 when it supplied engines for the Footwork Arrows team. That season didn't work out too well for the German motoring giant, though they did have a lot of success while partnering with McLaren in the 1980s. Audi, another Volkswagen Group member, has already gotten the go-ahead to make its F1 return and is currently in discussions to buy 75% of Sauber's racing team.