This article is part of our article origin story The series tells the stories behind the clubs, drivers and people who make the sport exciting.
Near the end of the 2022 season, Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner stopped in the United States on his way to Brazil for a meeting that could decide the future of the team.
A few months ago, talks to partner with Porsche broke down. Red Bull was keen to find a new manufacturer partner to support its in-house engine program, Red Bull Powertrain, which was established after Honda exited F1 at the end of 2021.
Mr. Horner was sitting in his office at Ford Motor Co.'s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, for an important meeting. Discussions about the F1 project began with Ford's head of motorsport, Mark Rushbrooke, and appeared to be progressing well.
But the meeting also included Bill Ford, the company's chairman and great-grandson of legendary founder Henry Ford, and Jim Farley, its president and CEO. The stakes were that high.
Horner's positive feelings were quickly confirmed. “When Jim showed up to the meeting wearing a Sergio Perez cap, I thought we were in good shape,” he recalled in July of this year. “(I thought) 'Okay, this looks pretty nice in here!'”
This paves the way for Red Bull and Ford to agree a partnership that will begin in 2026, when F1's new engine regulations are introduced. The partnership will see the American car giant return to the F1 grid after more than 20 years away. Ford's most recent involvement ended in 2004 when it sold the Jaguar team to Red Bull.
2026 is still a few years away, but the Red Bull-Ford partnership is already accelerating its efforts, aware of the importance of the new regulations and the scale of the project.
“Together with Ford, we must succeed,” Horner said. “There is no way this project will not be successful.”
The successful partnership between Red Bull and Honda will end after the 2025 season. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
control its destiny
In October 2020, just 18 months after its first race as Red Bull's engine partner, Honda announced that it would withdraw from F1 at the end of the 2021 season.
A shocking decision aimed at cutting costs and moving towards electrification – and ultimately reversing three years later to sign a deal with Aston Martin from 2026 – has left Red Bull at a crossroads. I was made to stand. Trying to buy engines from F1's main rivals Ferrari and Mercedes would be tricky. Returning to former partner Renault was not a realistic option. Renault's poor performance since 2014 led to very public complaints from Red Bull.
So why not go it alone? Red Bull has begun considering what it would take to build its own F1 engine. It would be a significant investment, but it would allow Red Bull to control its own destiny, rather than relying on a partner who could exit F1 at any time, as Honda has proven.
“Ultimately, we decided that if we were actually going to do it, we might as well do it all,” Horner said.
While a successful F1 team, Red Bull lacked the technical capabilities and existing knowledge base of rival manufacturers to produce power units. Horner said it quickly became clear that partnering with an automaker would be strategically better. “Because as an independent manufacturer you miss out on the technological advantages that Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda have when they change their minds.”
Porsche is likely to be chosen as Red Bull's F1 partner. The Volkswagen Group had hoped to bring the brand back into F1 by 2026, reinforcing its rich motorsport heritage, which included dominating the sport with McLaren in the mid-1980s. Negotiations came close to a successful conclusion in the summer of 2022, but ultimately the negotiations broke down. Porsche was looking to take ownership, but Horner said he decided Red Bull was “not the right path for the business”.
Red Bull was back to square one, looking for a manufacturing partner. “I'm a big believer in destiny,” said Horner, who received an email from Rushbrook that changed everything. Ford wanted to return to F1. Would Red Bull be interested in the conversation?
“It happened very, very quickly,” Horner said.
Ford CEO Jim Farley, Ford's Mark Rushbrook and Max Verstappen speak in the garage before the 2023 Miami Grand Prix. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
right place, right time
The attractiveness of F1 for manufacturers has increased significantly in the lead up to 2026. The proposed power unit regulations are now more closely aligned with global automotive trends, with a focus on electrification and fully sustainable fuels. At the same time, the boom in off-track popularity has made its marketing appeal greater than ever.
Mercedes and Ferrari were already on the grid. Honda was scheduled to return with Aston Martin. Audi has announced that it will enter the market in 2026. Now, Ford also wanted to join the fray.
“When we looked at the technology regulations that were happening in F1, it was very aligned and we had even more opportunities to contribute and learn from the innovation and technology transfer part of it,” Rushbrook said. “But the health of the sport, its global popularity and audience diversity are certainly important as well.”
So the question was: how Ford will enter F1. Several options were considered, including buying the team as Audi did with Sauber or developing the power unit division from scratch. Both are very expensive businesses, and Ford's past struggles with ownership of Jaguar meant that running an F1 business was not Ford's strong suit. The team finished on the podium just twice in five seasons before being sold to Red Bull at the end of 2004.
Acquiring the team also didn't fit into Ford's broader motorsports model.
“Yes, we're in motorsports, but we don't have a place to own or operate a team,” Rushbrook said. “We always work with our partners, whether it's Dick Johnson Racing in Australia (Supercars), Penske in NASCAR or M-Sport in rallying.”
It was the perfect time to start negotiations with Red Bull. Upon hearing that the deal with Porsche had fallen through, Rushbrook obtained Horner's email address and sent an email mid-flight, setting the ball rolling for a quick conclusion.
“We've had six months of discussions with Porsche and it hasn't worked out,” Horner said. “From start to finish, I think it was literally 12 weeks to get the deal done (with Ford), the initial discussions with Mark, then Jim Farley, Bill Ford, basically to get this going by the end of 2022. The decision was made that this was the way to go.”
The new partnership, announced in February 2023 to coincide with the start of Red Bull's season, confirms Ford's commitment through the next cycle of power unit regulations from 2026 to 2030.
This agreement is valid for both parties. Ford returns to F1 for the first time in 22 years with a championship-winning team, with no team or team responsibilities, technology transfer (F1 serves as a high-speed laboratory for future road car innovation) and F1's marketing power. are benefiting from. Total engine program. It will also be the only American manufacturer to participate on the F1 grid during the boom period for the sport in the United States.
And in Ford, Red Bull will have a partner with the expertise and resources to support its early engine program as it seeks to compete with the experience of Ferrari and Mercedes.
Red Bull's Christian Horner and Ford's Jim Farley speak at Red Bull's 2023 season presentation in New York. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Oracle Red Bull Racing)
The partnership has already begun
Red Bull Ford's first powertrain will not be able to race in F1 for another 18 months, but that doesn't stop the partnership from accelerating.
The importance of the 2026 regulation review, in which the integration of power units into cars should have a major impact on team performance, means it is already a priority for F1 manufacturers.
“26 years probably seems like a long time away to the fans, but we will be finalizing our race engine decisions in the coming months,” Horner said. “For the design team, it's literally tomorrow.”
As a result, Red Bull Powertrain is rapidly expanding with a major recruitment drive, including a large number of personnel from rival F1 engine programs, and the construction of two new buildings on its Milton Keynes campus dedicated to the 2026 program. has grown to. The first supply of Red Bull Ford power units will be to two Red Bull teams, Red Bull and RB, but the facility is being built with the capacity to supply two further customer teams. Apart from Ferrari, Red Bull is the only team in F1 that operates its team and engines on the same premises.
Although the Red Bull F1 car does not carry Ford branding, the current engine is still Honda's intellectual property and marketing efforts have already begun, although the technology agreement continues until the end of 2025. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have already taken part in demonstration events driving Ford cars. In July, Perez climbed the famous Goodwood Hill Climb in a Ford Red Bull Supervan, an all-electric van that produces more than 1,400 horsepower. Ford also supported one of the entries into Red Bull's all-female support series, F1 Academy, naming Chloe Chambers as its 2025 driver earlier this month. The road car used by Red Bull team members on race weekends is also a Ford.
The true success of the Red Bull-Ford partnership will be determined in 2026, when early engine advantage will be crucial. Mercedes proved that when it dominated the F1 era at the start of the V6 hybrid power unit era in 2014, winning the constructors' title for a record eight consecutive seasons.
Horner said it was “no illusion” that Red Bull and Ford would face big challenges in 2026, pointing out that the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari have “decades of experience” with F1 engine projects. .
“We have three years of experience,” Horner said. “But we have a huge amount of passion, we have great people, we have great facilities, we have great partners, and we have all the attitude in the world that will serve us very well. The number of race wins achieved so far is 120.
“It would be extremely rewarding to increase that number even further with engines designed, built and manufactured right here in Milton Keynes.”
even deeper
Lando Norris talks about winning the F1 title: pressure, mistakes and friendship with Max Verstappen
(Top photo by Christian Horner: Seth Wenig/AP)
