Ford appears to be interested in returning to F1 as a naming sponsor for Red Bull Racing. The timing 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, 1970s and 1980s through funding and support for 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 rocky over the past decade. He cut ties with Renault after winning four in a row and went with unbranded engines.
Red Bull then partnered with Honda after a misstep with McLaren, and Max Verstappen won the 2021 F1 drivers’ championship in his third season. However, Honda announced before the season started that it would leave 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 United States, is understood to have prompted it to weigh its options.
But Ford appears unwilling to get involved in funding a full-works 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 in the WRC. Potential partnerships primarily revolve around branding, financial and technical support. The timing of 2026 is because the current partnership with Honda will end at the end of 2025.
Red Bull has pledged to build its own F1 power unit from 2026, regardless of whether it strikes any deal with the manufacturer.
Earlier this year, Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner said: “We are completely focused on the Red Bull power unit and if we have a like-minded partner who can contribute something to the project, of course we will fully consider it. We need it, but it’s not a prerequisite,” he said.
“We will be the only team other than Ferrari to have all the engines and chassis on one campus under one roof.”
“I believe it’s absolutely the right thing to do for the long-term competitiveness of the team. And of course there are other opportunities that it brings.”
Red Bull held preliminary talks with Porsche about a 2026 partnership earlier this year, but talks fell apart because the team feared losing its full independence. Ford’s preferred route has been suggested to be very different from Porsche, which wanted more control and stakes in Red Bull.
Instead, Ford is not interested in formal ownership of the operation and is believed to be happy to leave the technical development of the power unit to Red Bull, although it could offer assistance in areas of expertise Red Bull has. Yes.
Ford’s interest is in marketing and brand exposure, to benefit from its ties to F1. Red Bull, on the other hand, will benefit from additional accolades by partnering with a global player like Ford.
Red Bull has had title sponsorship deals with Infiniti and Aston Martin in the past, and has 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 definite implications for Honda, which has enjoyed some of F1’s most recent successes over the past two years.
Honda has made an interesting move to register its own entry with the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) for the 2026 F1 engine regulations. It will have the strongest relationship with Red Bull in the future, but this leaves the door open for it to go it alone should it decide to go a different route.
Honda has insisted that nothing has been decided yet on whether it will return to F1 in 2026 as an engine supplier.
Recently, however, speculation has been rife that there may be an alternative route to becoming a works partner, or even owner, of Red Bull’s second team, AlphaTauri.
Category: F1 / red bull / F1 sponsor