Ford appears to be interested in returning to F1 as a naming sponsor for Red Bull Racing. The timeline is believed to be from 2026, when the Red Bull-Honda contract expires.
Ford is most famous for its involvement in F1 in the 1960s, 70s and 80s through the funding and support of the Cosworth DFV engine, the most successful engine in racing history. He was last involved in F1 with the Jaguar F1 team in the early 2000s, selling the team to Red Bull in 2005.
Ford also badged the Jordan F1 team’s Cosworth engine in 2003 and 2004.
The relationship between Red Bull Racing and its power unit partners has been difficult over the past decade. He cut ties with Renault after winning four in a row and went with unbranded engines.
Red Bull then teamed up with Honda after a misstep with McLaren and Max Verstappen won the 2021 F1 Drivers’ Championship in just his third season. However, Honda announced before the start of the season that he would be leaving F1 after 2021.
Meanwhile, Ford, known for its ‘blue oval’ logo, had shown little interest in returning to F1, but its growing popularity, especially in the US, is believed to have prompted it to weigh its options.
But Ford appears reluctant to get involved in funding a full-fledged F1 team or building its own F1 power unit to meet the 2026 F1 regulations.
Sources say Ford is exploring options with Red Bull, which has already partnered with the WRC. Potential partnerships mostly revolve around branding, financial and technical support. The 2026 timeline is because the current partnership with Honda ends at the end of 2025.
Red Bull has pledged to build its own F1 power unit from 2026, whether or not it reaches an agreement with the manufacturer.
Earlier this year, Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner said: “We are fully focused on Red Bull’s power unit and if we have a like-minded partner who can contribute something to the project, of course we will consider it. need, but it is not a prerequisite,” he said.
“We will be the only team other than Ferrari to have all engines and chassis on one campus under one roof.”
“I think it’s absolutely the right thing to do for the long-term competitiveness of the team. And of course there are other opportunities it offers.”
Red Bull held preliminary talks with Porsche about a 2026 partnership earlier this year, but the talks fell through as the team feared losing its full independence. It has been suggested that Ford’s preferred route was very different from that of Porsche, who wanted more control and stakes on Red Bull.
Instead, Ford is not interested in formal ownership of the operation and is believed to be happy to leave technical development of the power unit to Red Bull, although it could offer assistance in Red Bull’s areas of expertise.
Ford’s interest is in brand marketing and exposure, to benefit from its F1 links. Red Bull, meanwhile, will benefit from further accolades from partnering with a global player like Ford.
Red Bull has had title sponsorship deals with Infiniti and Aston Martin in the past and even named an engine after TAG Heuer. A partnership with Ford could do both.
A possible partnership between Red Bull and Ford could also have implications for Honda, which has enjoyed some of F1’s most recent success over the past couple of years.
Honda has made an interesting move to register its FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) entry for the 2026 F1 engine regulations. It will have the strongest relationship with Red Bull going forward, but this leaves the door open for it to alone should he decide to take a different route.
Honda insisted it has not yet been decided whether it will return to F1 in 2026 as an engine supplier.
Recently, however, there has been speculation that there may be an alternative route to becoming a working partner, or even owner, of Red Bull’s second team, AlphaTauri.
Category: F1 / Red Bull / F1 sponsors
