"It's a shame that we can't fight with Porsche"- Mercedes boss feels Red Bull-Porsche link-up would've been 'great' for F1

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff feels sorry that the Red Bull-Porsche deal fell apart. The Austrian was convinced that a brand like Porsche would've been a great addition to F1.

Wolff was full of praise for the German manufacturers and believed the deal would have been fruitful for F1, saying:

“As a Mercedes representative, I think it’s a shame that we can’t fight with Porsche. Porsche Red Bull would have been a great entry, a great brand. It didn’t work out for reasons I don’t know. It would have been great for Formula 1 and for the attractiveness of our sport if that had happened.”

The Red Bull-Porsche deal rumors had been doing the paddock rounds for quite some time now. The agreement was that the partnership would be based on equal terms. Consequently, Porsche wanted to partner with the team in addition to securing a 50 percent shareholding in Red Bull Technologies.

The Austrian outfit, though, did not wish to give up control of their team. Instead, the outfit offered Porsche the opportunity to invest in its new powertrains program. Nevertheless, the deal ultimately fell apart, with the two parties agreeing to cease further talks.

Toto Wolff, however, feels that this decision could prove to be fatal for Red Bull. Most importantly, the Mercedes boss felt sad that the opportunity to fight against Porsche has been missed.

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Mercedes boss supports teams entering F1 with engine suppliers

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has staunchly opposed Andretti Motorsports' entry into F1, claiming that the team could not add any value to the sport.

Wolff also voiced concerns over the revenue division if Andretti was to enter F1. He pointed out that the revenue, currently divided between 10 teams, will be diluted after an 11th team enters.

In the case of a new engine supplier, however, the 50-year-old believes that the proposition can be considered. He said:

“If a team comes with a new engine supplier and says that’s what we want to do, then of course it’s a completely different game and will trigger different considerations, that’s the one point for me as a team owner, there’s no problem dividing the pie when the pie is bigger.”

So far, many team bosses have voiced different concerns regarding the American outfit's entry. Amidst so many new brands trying to enter the sport, it will be interesting to see how things unfold. With the F1 camp divided into two parties over these decisions, it's difficult to predict anything.