After staying away from the sport for over two decades, Ford will be making a famous comeback to F1 via its partnership with Red Bull, starting from the 2026 season. Speaking about the same, Ford’s Performance Director, Mark Rushbrook, claimed they wanted to find the “best partner” on the grid, and the Milton-Keynes based team was the perfect candidate, as quoted in a report by RacingNews 365.
“We work very well with Red Bull. They are our partner, and our focus is on winning. We want that to be possible and have looked for the best partner.”
Standing as the third-most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history after Ferrari (244 wins) and Mercedes (212 wins), Ford wants Red Bull to cut down on the gap, and their partnership with them might be the key to achieving the same.
https://t.co/cBcMnMAEeX via @wearetherace
The start of the 2026 F1 season will see a new engine rules cycle begin which will run until the end of 2030.
Reigning champions Red Bull will debut their own power unit badged as the RBPT, with electrical assistance from Ford.#F1
— Ashley Woodhouse (@AshWoody90) January 15, 2024
Other teams in F1 are tired of Red Bull dominating the sport for the last three years. They are trying their best to make changes to their car so that they can challenge them. At the same time, they are waiting for the Austrian team to fumble.
For Red Bull, continuing their dominance won’t be easy given the 2026 season will also come with major regulation changes. Modified chassis and engine rules will be incorporated into the regulations to attract newer engine manufacturers while also reducing the disparity between the teams on the grid. Given the same, Rushbrook claimed that while they have made significant progress so far, a lot of work remains before they are ready for the 2026 season.
Red Bull splurged millions on their powertrain, even before Ford entered the picture
Back in May 2022, Red Bull incorporated Red Bull Powertrains as its subsidiary after Honda decided to step away from the sport, bringing an end to their partnership as engine suppliers. However, the partnership will remain in play until the end of the 2025 season. Once the development of engines sourced from Honda IP ends, Red Bull will immediately switch to a partnership with Ford.
#F1: Even before the Ford partnership was announced by @redbullracing, the team had already invested in R&D worth around $48 million for their 2026 PU through their subsidiary: Red Bull Powertrains 2026 Limited.
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— Anirban Aly Mandal (@AnirbanF1) November 28, 2023
It is noteworthy to mention that the huge fiscal implications of having your own engine program mean that the cost cap is exclusive of RBPT’s charge to the front of the engine manufacturer’s race.
As such, the Milton Keynes-based team incurred R&D expenses worth nearly $48 million for the year ended 31.12.2022. The idea for a partnership with Ford came after Red Bull’s short-lived alliance with Porsche before the partnership came crumbling down because of disagreements over who would assume control over the program.
