Ford is expected to join Red Bull Racing on the Formula 1 grid from 2026 through an engine partnership deal.
It is understood that the car-making giant will provide financial and technical support in exchange for the engines to be used by Red Bull Racing being badged as Ford products. The engines will actually be developed in-house by Red Bull Powertrains for the new engine regulations scheduled to start for the 2026 season.
News of the deal is expected to be confirmed on Friday morning in New York when Red Bull Racing unveils its livery for the 2023 F1 season. News of the deal leaked online after Ford shared its agreement with news agency Ansa, only for it to be inadvertently published early, the BBC reports.
Red Bull Racing’s deal with Ford comes just a few months after a planned tie-up between the F1 team and Porsche fell through. In that case, Porsche planned to buy 50 per cent of Red Bull Racing but the deal fell apart due to the insistence of Red Bull Racing chief executive Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko that it would only accept an engine sponsorship deal. It now appears it has gotten the engine sponsorship deal it wanted, albeit with Ford.
Read: Porsche’s F1 Deal With Red Bull Is Officially Dead
The American carmaker has a long history of involvement in the highest form of motorsport. It funded the Cosworth DFV V8 engine that dominated Formula 1 from 1967 until the early-1980s. Ford also owned the Jaguar F1 team in the early 2000s and ultimately sold the team to Red Bull after the 2004 season.
Ford could be joined on the F1 grid by its crosstown rival General Motors. Last month, GM partnered with Andretti Autosport to launcha bid to enter the F1 grid in 2026 with Cadillac-branded cars. While Andretti’s F1 outfit would have sponsorship from GM, it will likely rely on Renault engines.
