by Ford will return to Formula One as an engine supplier to Red Bull Racing in a partnership announced on Friday that begins with immediate technical support this season and engines in 2026.
Red Bull powertrains and Ford will partner on the development of a hybrid power unit that will supply engines to both Red Bull and AlphaTauri when new F1 regulations start in 2026.
The American automaker dominated F1 in the late 1960s and 1970s as an engine manufacturer with Cosworth and Ford is the third most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history with 10 constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships.
Ford, owner and principal of the Jaguar F1 team, left F1 in 2004 when Jaguar was sold and became Red Bull Racing. Ford was drawn back to F1, where he raced for 38 years until he retired in 2004, by F1’s focus on sustainable racing and the explosion in popularity across North America.
Ford is the first American engine supplier to return to F1, as the series will compete five times this year in North America, with three of those races in the United States. General Motors has announced a partnership with Andretti Global to be its engine supplier if Andretti gets an F1 team.
“The numbers globally are huge for Formula One,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance, told The Associated Press. “Especially in the United States, where the growth and diversity of the fans is enormous. That’s important to us. We don’t want to just run around and learn technology. We need to do that. We need to do that. But we also need to be able to connect with the fans. fans.
“With Red Bull and AlphaTauri, that’s exactly what we’ll be able to do.”
Changes to the F1 2026 rules call for current twin-turbo V6 engines to run on sustainable fuel and be fitted with hybrid components. Red Bull Powertrains originally had a deal with Porsche that fell through last season and Red Bull has been developing its own power unit for the new regulations.
Red Bull will continue to race non-branded Honda power units until 2026, but Ford will start with immediate technical support and then supply Ford engines when new regulations start.
Ford was drawn back to F1, where she raced for 38 years until retiring in 2004, by F1’s focus on sustainable racing and the explosion in popularity across North America.
Ford has split into two divisions, one to focus solely on electric vehicles and the other to handle internal combustion engines. Last year, Ford laid off about 3,000 white-collar workers to help finance the multibillion-dollar transition to electric vehicles. The company is sourcing battery minerals and establishing partnerships to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles.
It has announced three new battery factories in Kentucky and Tennessee. Ford expects to be able to produce electric vehicles at a rate of 600,000 per year by the end of this year and reach a manufacturing rate of more than 2 million per year by the end of 2026.
“This is the start of an exciting new chapter in Ford motorsports history that began when my great-grandfather won a race that helped launch our company,” said Bill Ford, CEO. “Ford, together with world champions Oracle Red Bull Racing, is returning to the pinnacle of the sport, bringing Ford’s long tradition of innovation, sustainability and electrification to one of the world’s most visible stages.”
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