In 17 years of its existence as a Formula 1 constructor, the Red Bull F1 team has won a total of 11 titles, which includes 6 Drivers’ titles and 5 Constructors’ titles.
Going forward, the team hopes to add more trophies and titles to its shelf and there is a good chance that the Milton-Keynes-based team would dominate even further.
The team even has a solid long-term plan as it has now announced its collaboration with the American car giants and former constructors Ford as the company is hoping to make a return in F1 and further its legacy.
Interestingly, Red Bull had bought Ford’s F1 team back in 2004 for merely $1. But why did Ford leave Formula 1 in the first place?
Also Read: Why Red Bull F1 Team Chose Ford Over Honda and Porsche?
Why did Ford Motor Company part ways from F1?
From 1967 to 2004, Ford had major involvement in Formula 1 building a glorious legacy at the pinnacle of motorsport. It supplied engines to multiple teams such as Lotus and McLaren.
And with these teams, they won the 176 Grand Prix. The engines were designed and manufactured by Cosworth, a racing division that was owned by Ford from 1998 to 2004.
But in late 1999, Jackie Stewart was looking to sell his team Stewart Grand Prix and Ford saw it as an opportunity. The American giants entered F1 in 2000 as constructors rebranding the Stewart Grand Prix as Jaguar Racing. Ford’s own team did not bring as much success as it had anticipated.
After 5 disappointing seasons in the sport, Ford decided to list their team for sale. Their main reason for leaving the sport was reported to be the exorbitant amount of money it costs to operate within F1 each year.
Red Bull bought Jaguar Racing for $1
While Ford withdrew from the sport in 2004, Cosworth continued serving other clients just without the financial backing from Ford.
Red Bull, the energy drinks company, agreed to take over Jaguar Racing in late 2004 on the final day of the sale.
A report by BBC suggested that Ford had asked the potential buyers for merely $1 in return for a $400 Million investment for the next three seasons.
Although racing was not how Red Bull started its career in F1. They sponsored Sauber from 1995 to 2005. But after buying its own team Red Bull snubbed its deal with the Swiss team and used its vast resources and knowledge to excel as constructors.
Inarguably, they did achieve their target as they dominated the early 2010s and by the looks of it, they seem to be on the way to another streak of dominance.
Also Read: Why American Manufacturers Leave F1 When Ferrari Dominated?
