Ford Returns To Formula 1 With Red Bull Racing As Partner

Formula 1 has a new, or rather, familiar player – Ford.

It’s been more than twenty years, but Ford has announced its intentions to return to Formula 1. Partnering with Red Bull, the blue oval will be competing against teams from Mercedes-Benz, and Ferrari.

The partnership, called Red Bull Ford Powertrains will supply power units to Oracle Red Bull Racing, and Scuderia AlphaTauri from “2026 to at least 2030.” The partnership has the goal of “sustainable racing” and developing “advanced hybrid technologies,” for F1, but the lessons learned here will trickle down into other Ford vehicles. CEO Jim Farley said that its return to F1 runs parallel to where the rest of Ford is going; offering more electrification and connected experiences. “F1 will be an incredibly cost-effective platform to innovate, share ideas and technologies, and engage with tens of millions of new customers,” said Farley, via press release.

You’re not dreaming. It’s real. We’re back in #F1, partnering with @RedBullRacing 🏎⚡️ #FordReturns pic.twitter.com/NSLBJ9kQSz

— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) February 3, 2023

Curiously, it seems to pick up the torch where Honda is leaving off. Currently, Honda supplies the Red Bull team with powertrain equipment, although Honda itself killed its own F1 team in 2021. But, that deal is expected to expire in 2026. This new Ford and Red Bull partnership sees the development of a new hybrid powertrain, which would go into service in, you guessed it, 2026. With this news, it’s unclear what will happen to Honda’s F1 efforts. Will it find another partner? Will it re-enter F1 itself?

Whatever the case, Ford is definitely back in F1, and its powertrains will be on track starting in 2026.

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