Ford returns to Formula One in partnership with Red Bull

Ford will return to Formula One as the engine provider for Red Bull Racing in a partnership announced Friday that begins with immediate technical support this season and engines in 2026.

Red Bull powertrains and Ford will partner on the development of a hybrid power unit that will supply engines to both Red Bull and AlphaTauri when new F1 regulations begin in 2026.

The American automaker dominated F1 in the late 1960s and 1970s as an engine manufacturer with Cosworth and Ford is the third most successful engine maker in F1 history with 10 constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships.

Ford, which owned and ran the Jaguar F1 team, left F1 in 2004 when Jaguar was sold and became Red Bull Racing. Ford was lured back to F1, where it competed for 38 years until it pulled out in 2004, by F1′s focus on sustainable racing and explosion in popularity throughout North America.

Ford is the first American engine supplier to return to the F1 as the series is set to race five times this year in North America, with three of those races in the United States. General Motors has announced a partnership with Andretti Global to be its engine supplier if Andretti gets an F1 team.

“The numbers globally are enormous for Formula One,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance, told The Associated Press. "Especially in the United States, where the growth and diversity of the fans is enormous. That's important for us. We don't want to just race and learn technology. We need to do that. We must do that. But we also must be able to connect with fans.

“With Red Bull and AlphaTauri, that's exactly what we will be able to do.”

The F1 2026 rule changes call for the current twin-turbo V6 engines to run on sustainable fuel and be fitted with hybrid components. Red Bull...