The Ford F1 agreement with Red Bull Racing (RBR) will put The Blue Oval back on the Formula One grid in 2026. Through the partnership, Ford will contribute engine tech to the project, putting its power on track right away. Ford’s crosstown rival GM is on an alternate strategy and is set to produce its own power units, but that won’t happen until 2028. In the meantime, the new Cadillac F1 team will rely on a third-party supplier, recently announcing a multiyear deal with Ferrari.
As reported by our sister publication, GM Authority, Ferrari broke the news on December 10th, 2024. The Italian automaker stated that it will begin supplying power units and gearboxes to the Cadillac F1 outfit beginning in 2026. While Ferrari confirmed a multiyear agreement, it did not disclose the length of the contract, but it will likely continue at least until GM begins build its own power units.
The Ford F1 team welcomes the challenge of Cadillac on the grid. Ford Performance head Mark Rushbrook said he’s looking forward to the rivalry on the global open wheel racing stage, stating, “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.”
The Blue Oval’s journey into F1 hasn’t been all that smooth, either. The automaker considered purchasing an existing team to break back into the sport before the talks with RBR materialized. In fact, the only reason the RBR partnership was on the table was because Porsche backed out of its own deal with that same team, making it a prime candidate for a Ford F1 agreement.
Ford also considered building its own power units from scratch, like GM’s eventual plan for the Cadillac outfit. However, that turned out to be quite costly, prompting The Blue Oval to shack up with RBR instead. Even so, Ford is right there in the process, contributing things like turbochargers and testing rigs to make sure everything runs smoothly.
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