Ford admit to a far greater involvement than planned in RBR powertrains programme – When Red Bull Racing first announced its partnership with Ford, many dismissed it as little more than a marketing marriage. Ford badges on the car, some brand visibility, piles of American cash to support the new engine programme but little else. Red Bull Racing had been in discussions with Porsche for some time as the German auto manufacturer had signed up to join Formula One as a future engine supplier.
Yet mission creep developed in the Stuttgart boardrooms as the executives pushed for a deal which would see Porsche take a 50% stake in Red Bull Racing. The then CEO of RBR, Christian Horner was adamant such a deal would detract from the entrepreneurial culture he had built in Milton Keynes – one which was swift and nimble in its capabilities to respond to urgent engineering decisions.
In fact Horner was concerned that the corporate mess that was the Ford owned Jaguar F1 debacle, ironically bought by the energy drinks empire to become Red Bull Racing, would also be the destiny of the merged entities. Hindsight now tells us Horner’s resistance sowed the seeds for his eventual dismissal once the energy drinks mogul, Didi Mateschitz died.
Horner kills Porsche deal
The Porsche deal was the brainchild of Oliver Mintzlaff, who was in charge of the energy drinks empires ‘special projects.’ The Austrian was forced to concede defeat to his Porsche/Red Bull ambitions after Horner persuaded Mateschitz to ditch the idea, but now Minztlaff is the director in charge of Red Bull’s F1 programme and the man behind the ousting of the former Red Bull team principal.
With the Porsche investment lost, Horner and Red Bull set about finding a new partner for the F1 powertrains programme and in just three months on from the breakdown in conversations with Stuttgart, a big hitter from Detroit was announced at a hurriedly arranged New York launch of the RB19.
Skeptics believed this arrangement was merely a sponsorship and commercial branding opportunity, yet from the off Red Bull admitted they cold learn a lot from Ford’s vehicle electrification programme. Ford’s global motorsport director, Mark Rushbrook, suggested their input had been restricted to this particular area of expertise, stating at the time: “The internal combustion engine and the turbo weren’t on the initial list, but there is a lot of knowledge that we have with modelling and testing that can help, so that has been engaged and employed as well. Our main focus though is in the electrification, that is a big opportunity.”
Red Bull exclude Ford from ICE development
Of course the research and development capabilities of one of the world’s largest manufacturer of road cars is an advantage for the Red Bull team, but their insistence to go it alone on the internal combustion engine (ICE) aspect of the projects was strange. Adrian Newey stated earlier this year that the new ICE for 2026 will define the pecking order and even an era of dominance for one powertrain supplier.
“There has to be a big chance that it’s an engine formula at the start,” Newey told Auto Motor und Sport in February. “There has to be a chance that one manufacturer will come out well on top, and it will become a power-unit-dominated regulation, at least to start with. There’s a chance that if it’s on the combustion engine side of it, that somebody comes up with a dominant combustion engine that will last through the length of the formula, because the way the regulations are written, it’s quite difficult for people who are behind to catch up.”
It cold be that Red Bull harkened to Newey’s warning and have since decided to let Ford go all in with their input now on both the electrical and ICE aspects of their power unit design, as Mark Rushbrook speaking to Motorsport Aktuell now confirms Ford are “deeply embedded in Red Bull’s 2026 engine programme on both the electric and combustion sides. What began as a targeted collaboration around the hybrid systems has grown into something far bigger.
Ford admits Jaguar F1 failure
“After two and a half years, the scope of involvement has expanded significantly,” Rushbrook reveals. “We are now working on almost the entire car – and also on the operational side.”
Ford’s new F1 role is a far cry from its last stint in the sport. Between 2000 and 2004, the company ran Jaguar as a full works team—a venture that ended in disappointment. “The last time we had a factory team with Jaguar, we learned that we weren’t as good at it,” Rushbrook admitted. “We don’t have a full manufacturer programme like that, anywhere in the world.”
That experience, he suggested, taught Ford to “enter partnerships strategically”, backing specialists rather than trying to go it alone. With the Porsche/Red Bull deal collapsed, Ford took the opportunistic moment in time to say ‘yes’ once again to F1, given Red Bull were looking for a partner with experience and deep pockets.
Ford now “embedded” in RBPT programme
“We were quite lucky,” Rushbrook said. “They had just decided to develop their own powertrain for 2026. It was still at a very early stage, but even then they realised resources were limited—even for a major Formula 1 team. Especially since Milton Keynes had never developed its own engine before.”
What began as a hybrid-focused partnership has now become “one of the most important technical alliances on the grid”. For Ford, it’s a chance at redemption. For Red Bull, it’s the backup muscle they need to survive the transition from customer team to full engine manufacturer.
The Ford brand will compete with one of its major US rivals and their Cadillac brand, although the General Motors entry is not building its own power units until at least 2029. Another global automaker coming to the party in 2026 is Audi, and it seems their task is the toughest of all.
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Audi have the toughest job
Audi must take the perennial mid-to bottom of the table contenders Sauber and regenerate them into a fully fledged F1 works based outfit. They like Red Bull are building an F1 specified power unit for the first time, but Audi have decades of experience in other forms of motorsport.
The first time the teams and manufacturers will be able to evaluate how they compare to the competition, will be in Barcelona on the 26th January next year. Due to the significant regulation changes, the FIA have mandated an extra 8 days of pre-season testing for 2026, although the first 5 at the circuit de Catalunya have been listed as “private.”
Sepang’s plea for an F1 return, Malaysian government responds
Formula 1 has changed beyond recognition under Liberty Media. Once the proud playground of Spa, Monza, and Silverstone, the calendar is now a glittering showcase of Vegas neon, Miami nightlife, and soon Madrid’s street festival. Old giants, once unthinkable to drop, now cling on by their fingernails—With the iconic Ardennes Forrest Spa circuit itself reduced to a rotational deal, praying for survival.
The message from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali could not be clearer: history and passion don’t guarantee you a calendar slot. In 2025, a Grand Prix needs more than racing pedigree—it requires political will, corporate muscle, and a host city willing to turn itself into a billion-dollar party zone.
And now, with Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit lobbying for a comeback after bowing out in 2017, the reality check is brutal. The price of entry has not just gone up—it has doubled…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
