The Blue Oval knew it wasn’t in for an easy journey when it partnered with Red Bull Racing (RBR) to become the team’s power unit supplier for the 2026 Formula One season. Ford Performance head Mark Rushbrook recently revealed an interesting detail about the effort: it was easier to design an entire race car – the Ford Mustang GT3 – than it is to develop engine tech for the Ford F1 team.
Speaking with Motorsport, Rushbrook explained that the Ford F1 power unit program has thus far proved to be extremely involved. The automaker provides engine tech and certain parts to RBR, and while The Blue Oval is no stranger to motorsport, the F1 partnership is more time-consuming than other disciplines. In fact, it took less time to develop the Dark Horse-based Mustang GT3 from the ground up.
“To develop a GT3, an entire car, is a shorter timeframe than the development of this power unit,” said Rushbrook. “It was a two-year development program for our Mustang GT3, and in 2026 we will be three and a half years into the development just for a power unit. And you’re sprinting at a faster pace for three and a half years than you are doing for the two years of developing a car.”
As a reminder, the Ford Mustang GT3 was introduced for the 2024 racing season after two years of development. Of course, as with any new car, it took teams some time to become familiar and comfortable with it. Now that they’ve had time to play with the race car, they’ve been stacking up the trophies, including winning the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona. More recently, the Mustang GT3 produced a victory in Detroit after starting from the pole.
Though it won’t hit the track until the 2026 season, the Ford F1 partnership with RBR is already in full swing. The automaker recently ramped up production of parts for next year, and Ford execs even met with F1 leadership to discuss the sport’s future.
Comment
Not surprised at all by this, and I don’t think Mark Rushbrook is either. F1 in many eyes is the pinnacle of motorsports, and therefore the technology is also at the same level. Regulations are much tighter, demands on materials, and there assembly are super high, as is the performance and durability aspects. It’s a very risky proposition for sure. Trying to repeat the old Cosworth formula will be extremely difficult. Birthing problems will be expected, but also heavily scrutinized. Be prepared for evitable criticisms.