With Ford, a traditional brand will return to Formula 1 in the future. The engine manufacturer and carmaker will join the world champion team Red Bull. After numerous rumors in the last few weeks and months, this is now very likely, as a leak revealed on Thursday.
Actually, the big news about Ford’s re-entry into Formula 1 was only supposed to be announced on Friday on the sidelines of Red Bull’s car launch in New York. At least that’s the plan of the US car manufacturer and the racing team of two-time driver world champion Max Verstappen.
However, a transmission error surrounding the corresponding press release by a Ford employee ensured that the Italian news agency “Ansa” published the report briefly on Thursday – instead of on Friday as planned – as the “BBC” reported.
“Ansa” quickly withdrew the message, but by then the leak had already happened and the details of the collaboration between Red Bull and Ford were out in the world.
According to this, Ford wants to return to the premier class of motorsport in 2026 and participate financially and with know-how in the new engine, which has to be designed for the new regulations from that year.
Formula 1 is booming in the USA
The US carmaker is joining Red Bull Powertrains, which was founded in 2021 to supply engines to Verstappen, his teammate (currently still Sergio Pérez) and the sister team AlphaTauri.
Ford was last active in Formula 1 between 2000 and 2004 with the Jaguar team, which later became the Red Bull racing team.
Formula 1 is booming in the USA, the home of the world’s sixth largest car manufacturer. This year there were already two races in the United States of America, one in Miami and another in Austin/Texas.
There will even be a third grand prix in Las Vegas in the upcoming season. After the US team Haas F1, which has been taking part in the world championship since 2016, there will again be a driver from overseas in Logan Sargeant from the Williams racing team from 2023.
Ford now wants to take advantage of this boom by joining Red Bull.