Whenever Porsche entered races, people where blown away by its performance. The Porsche car usually took first place, and if not first, it was always in the top three. Some races were deemed to be mind-blowing by critics, and Porsche enthusiasts were in their element! It was only a natural progression that the Porsche moved on to Formula One.
Porsche's first entry into Formula One took place in the season of 1961 to 1962. Porsche fans were a little perturbed to say the least. Porsche only managed to achieve one championship win thanks to Dan Gurney at the end of the French Grand Prix in 1962. Porsche did win another race, but it was a non-championship cup. At the end of its first season competing, Porsche retired from Formula 1. They cited that the reason for this was the high cost of their participation in the races. Naturally, this was because they were not winning anything in order to get their money back for the amounts they had invested in their venture.
In 1983 Porsche reentered the world of Formula One. This time, they supplied engines manufactured under the name TAG for the McLaren Team. Luckily for Porsche, TAG was a huge success. The Porsche powered cars won two titles for construction, and in addition to this, three drivers were crowned in championships in the years 1984, 1985 and 1986.
In 1991, Porsche returned as an engine supplier to Formula One. Unfortunately, the results were not as satisfactory as they had been before. Porsche entered their cars under the name Footwork, but failed to score any points. In over half the races they participated in, Porsche even failed to qualify at all! Since this disastrous year, Porsche has not returned to Formula One. There has been much speculation as to why they did not return again. It could very well be because Porsche was a very successful brand with a good reputation. If they continued to participate in Formula One, and experienced these embarrassing failures for the world to see, the Porsche brand would begin to lose its status.
Despite Porsche's failed attempt at a successful entry into Formula One, they still continue to dazzle on the race track. Nowadays, Porsche participates in smaller, more localized races. There are special Porsche races for enthusiasts that are hugely successful. In other larger races, the Porsche is normally modified, but still does well. Unfortunately for Porsche, the only real professional category that they participate in these days is the Porsche Michelin Super Cup. This cup is raced as a support category at the European Formula One.
In retrospect, there can be many thoughts on why Porsche did so badly in Formula One. Logically, it was the wisest decision for them to retire. Porsche is well renowned for its class, sleek lines and powerful engines. The Formula One is one of the biggest marketing campaigns for car manufacturers in the world, and naturally Porsche did not want to be advertised as being failures with less than championship level engines.
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