Having already repeatedly denied that it was pursuing a potential return to
Formula One, Porsche has found new reasons not to join motorsport's top flight.
Money has long been cited as one of the biggest barriers to the German supercar manufacturer joining rivals
Ferrari in Formula One but, speaking in an interview with
Stern magazine, company bosses have added the recent sex scandal involving
Max Mosley to the list.
Porsche is currently negotiating the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Volkswagen - along with Audi, mooted as a potential
F1 candidate over the years - but the chairmen of both companies have spoken out against plans to join the flagship series.
"300 million euros a year? That is just burning money," VW's Ferdinand Piech claimed, overlooking plans to cut the cost of competing in Formula One in coming years, while Porsche counterpart Wolfgang Porsche found the distaste surrounding
FIA president Mosley's recent activities an equally unpalatable excuse.
"After the affair with Max Mosley and the women, it would not be very savoury to get involved now," he told the same article.
Porsche and VW both currently enjoy motorsport programmes in other disciplines, with the former ruling the roost in the LMP2 and GT2 categories of sportscar racing around the world and VW enjoying success in rally raids, despite the cancellation of this year's Dakar event.
Should Porsche make the transition into Formula One at some point though, it would not be for the first time.
Indeed the German marquee moved into Formula One first back in 1961 with a design based on the RSK Porsche sports racer.
In 1962 a flat eight powered Porsche 804 produced the manufacturers' only win. The victory was claimed by American driver Dan Gurney at the 1962 French Grand Prix. Porsche retired at the end of the season due to high costs and a lack of success.
However, the manufacturer would return to F1 in 1983 supplying TAG badged engine units to
McLaren under the watchful eye of designer John Barnard.
