Back in February 2023, Ford announced that it will be returning to Formula 1 racing in 2026, this time, as a power unit maker for the highly-successful Red Bull Racing team. This is big news given the fact that Formula 1 is enjoying a tremendous boom in popularity as of late, coupled with the fact that The Blue Oval is still the third most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history with 10 constructors championships and 13 drivers championships, even after departing the series years ago. However, there is one manufacturer that Ford would admittedly love to see lining up next to it on the grid.
That manufacturer is Ford’s cross-town rival, General Motors, it seems. “We go racing to compete against other manufacturers, and there’s already a lot of manufacturers in Formula 1, but we’d certainly love to welcome General Motors into the sport,” Ford Performance global leader Mark Rushbrook told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “They have that ability to come in as a power unit manufacturer independent of any specific team, they could partner with any of the existing 10 teams. So we welcome them, for sure. And same for Andretti. We certainly don’t have anything against Andretti.”
These comments are notable given the fact that Formula 1 denied GM’s request to become a power unit manufacturer for the series back in early February. Andretti Cadillac’s Expression of Interest application to race in the 2025 season was approved by the FIA, but not by F1, though it remains possible that the team could be granted its request for the 2028 season, at least.
In the meantime, Ford has already begun working on developing its new, next-generation F1 power unit in partnership with Red Bull ahead of its own debut in that series, and both parties expect to find quick success in spite of the many challenges associated that type of major undertaking.
We’ll have more on Ford’s return to F1 soon, so sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford motorsports news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
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