Ford Motor Company is returning to Formula 1 racing and will be a technical partner to Oracle Red Bull Racing starting with the 2026 season.
Ford and Red Bull will partner on the development of the next-gen hybrid power unit, which will take effect with engine changes in F1 in 2026. Ford will supply the engines to both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri teams from 2026 through at least 2030.
Red Bull won the 2022 constructors championship and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the 2022 drivers championship.
“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 Executive Chair Bill Ford said in a statement. “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."
“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," FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement.
Ford left F1 in 2004 but is the third-most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history with 10 Constructors' championships and 13 drivers' championships.
Ford will start this year with Red Bull Powertrains to develop the power unit. It will include a 350 kW electric motor and a new combustion engine able to accept sustainable fuels.
The automaker said in 2026, it will be the only manufacturer competing in racing disciplines from grassroots motorsports to Formula 1, with cars in IMSA and WEC races, NASCAR, rally races, NHRA and more.
Ford’s return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing is all about where we are going as a company– increasingly electric, software-defined, modern vehicles and experiences,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “F1 will be an incredibly cost-effective platform to innovate, share ideas and technologies, and engage with tens of millions of new customers.”
