Ford Set For Formula 1 Return In 2026 With Red Bull Powertrains

It’s official: the mighty Blue Oval marque that is Ford will return to the Formula 1 grid in 2026, and it’ll do so as technical partners to perhaps the sport’s most dominant team currently – Red Bull Racing. The move sees Ford ending its absence in the sport that’s lasted for well over two decades, in fact.

This was officially announced during the Red Bull Racing team’s 2023 livery unveiling held in New York this week. Both the automaker’s executive chairman Bill Ford and its president and CEO Jim Farley were present for the occasion.

“Ford, alongside world champions, Oracle Red Bull Racing, is returning to the pinnacle of the sport, bringing Ford’s long tradition of innovation, sustainability and electrification to one of the world’s most visible stages,” said executive chairman Bill.

Adding to that, Farley also noted that the partnership is “all about where we are going as a company– increasingly electric, software-defined, modern vehicles and experiences.” The exec also said that the sport will be a cost-effective platform to innovate, share ideas and tech, and engage with tens of millions of new customers.

The effort sees Ford enter a long-term partnership with Red Bull Racing, or more specifically its Red Bull Powertrains division. Together, they will develop a next generation F1 hybrid power unit from 2026 onwards under the Red Bull Ford banner. Said unit will power both the main Red Bull Racing and sister Scuderia AlphaTauri teams until at least 2030.

“It’s fantastic to be welcoming Ford back into Formula 1 through this partnership. They are a manufacturer rich in motoring history that spans generations. From Jim Clark to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, the lineage speaks for itself,” expressed Christian Horner, CEO of and team principal of Red Bull Racing.

Also widely credited with the global American automaker’s re-entry is the sport’s immense growth in viewership in recent years, most notably in the North American market. The latter likely stems from the incredibly successful Netflix docu-series Drive To Survive. Aptly, the potentially massive commercial gains for Ford here is hard to ignore.

Ford was last seen in Formula 1 racing back in 2004 through both the Jaguar-branded F1 racing team, and as engine supplier via Cosworth. At the time, Ford owned both the historic British auto marque and the renowned UK-based motorsports engine-building firm.

The global financial crisis that loomed in the early-to-mid 2000s prompted Ford to sell off the Cosworth arm, the Jaguar brand, and the Jaguar F1 team too. Ironically, the latter was sold to energy drinks giant Red Bull which, in 2005, formed the Red Bull Racing team that Ford will partner with for its 2026 re-entry.

Whilst we’re still on Ford’s Formula 1 racing history, it’s worth noting that the marque stands as the third most successful manufacturer in said sport too. Accolades charted by Ford – as well as Cosworth – include 176 race wins, 10 constructor’s titles, as well as 13 driver’s titles.