Ford confirms F1 entry from 2026, linked to Red Bull
Ford may replace Honda as engine supplier to work with Red Bull Powertrains
CEO Jim Farley revealed the decision on US television, but did not reveal which team Ford will power
Ford will return to Formula 1 from 2026, its CEO Jim Farley has confirmed in a live television interview in the United States. During the broadcast on Fox News’s Fox & Friends show - held alongside F1 Group CEO Stefano Domenicali - Farley did not reveal which team Ford will power.
However, it is widely rumoured that an announcement will be made by the Red Bull F1 team later today confirming the partnership. As a result, Ford would replace current engine supplier Honda at the team, and work with Red Bull Powertrains on an engine that is being developed to new rules.
Until the relationship unravelled over arguments over the ownership structure of the mooted relationship last year, Porsche had been expected to partner with Red Bull on its engine project.
A tie-up between Ford and Red Bull would echo the former’s past involvement in F1 with Cosworth, with it providing funding and technical assistance - in this case likely specifically around hi-tech electric systems given the constraints of the incoming engine rules - to a specialist motorsport division to develop its engines.
In a prepared statement following Farley’s television appearance, Bill Ford, executive chair of the company that bears his name, added: “This is the start of a thrilling new chapter in Ford’s motorsports story that began when my great-grandfather won a race that helped launch our company. Ford 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.”
Dominicali added: “The news today that Ford is coming to Formula 1 from 2026 is great for the sport and we are excited to see them join the incredible automotive partners already in Formula 1. Ford is a global brand with an incredible heritage in racing and the automotive world and they see the huge value that our platform provides with over half a billion fans around the world.“
Our commitment to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030 and to introduce sustainable fuels in the F1 cars from 2026 is also an important reason for their decision to enter F1. We believe that our sport provides the opportunity and reach unlike any other and we cannot wait for the Ford logo to be racing round F1’s iconic circuits from 2026.”
Ford last competed in Formula 1 in 2004 and remains the third most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history, winning ten constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “There are few manufacturers who have such a celebrated motorsport history as Ford, so to see them coming back to the FIA Formula One World Championship is excellent news.
“It further underlines the success of the 2026 Power Unit Regulations that have at their heart a commitment to both sustainability and spectacle, and of course, having more interest from the United States is important for the continued growth of the world’s top motorsport category. Ford and Formula 1 will provide more details about Ford’s return to the circuit later this morning.”
Ford’s decision is believed to have been motivated by three key factors: the rising popularity of the sport globally, but particularly in the US off the back of the hit Drive to Survive Netflix series; the sport’s plans to use more electric assistance and investigate synthetic fuels; and the potential for arch-rival General Motors to enter the sport at the same time with its Cadillac brand, in a mooted link with a new F1 team run by Michael Andretti, son of 1978 F1 champion Mario.