The story behind the Red Bull and Ford deal in Formula 1

The story of Ford’s return to Formulation 1, from Crimson Bull’s viewpoint, is well-known by now.

The Milton Keynes-based group held prolonged talks with Porsche to develop a works engine for the all-new 2026 energy unit laws, however these finally collapsed. The German sports activities automotive model was eager on changing into an equal accomplice, together with shares, however Crimson Bull feared shedding management. And given the involvement of the Volkswagen Group – and its myriad layers of governance – Crimson Bull was additionally cautious of shedding its agile determination making.

Ford noticed the breakdown of Crimson Bull’s negotiations with Porsche with eager curiosity and instantly noticed a chance. “It turned very clear that, no less than from what we noticed from the surface, that it was not going to work for Crimson Bull with Porsche”, Ford Motorsports director Mark Rushbrook instructed Motorsport.com. “I actually obtained Christian Horner’s e mail deal with, despatched him an e mail and mentioned ‘Hello, do you wish to discuss?’”

It led to the primary conversations, about which Horner shared an amusing anecdote: “We went to a gathering at Dearborn on the way in which to Brazil, and met with your self, Invoice Ford and Jim [Farley]. I believed we had been in fine condition when Jim walked into the assembly with a Sergio Perez cap! I believed ‘Okay, we’re trying fairly good right here!’ You might simply really feel that there was an actual enthusiasm from the very high of the corporate, from Invoice Ford, who was so keen about coming again to Formulation 1, and Jim, who’s a racer himself.”

Issues began transferring shortly, though the query stays why Ford particularly selected Crimson Bull for its new chapter in Formulation 1. Ford has a wealthy historical past within the sequence, together with the once-omnipresent Cosworth DFV engines, though it had been absent since late 2004 when it bought the Jaguar group to none apart from Crimson Bull.

The rising reputation of the game and the 2026 laws each performed their half swaying opinions on the Michigan headquarters. “When you would have requested me 5 years in the past, and truly individuals did ask me, ‘Is Ford going to get again into Formulation 1?’ then my reply was no. On the time we didn’t suppose that F1 was the appropriate place for us, however actually issues have modified afterwards”, Rushbrook mentioned.

“When you see how the laws are written down for 2026 with the rise of the electrification, with the gasoline modifications and with the dedication to be net-zero by 2030, that aligns with a whole lot of our values and what’s essential for us. The expansion of the game performs a job as properly. We go racing for innovation and for tech switch, so transferring expertise from the racetrack to the highway and, if potential, the opposite approach round as properly. We additionally wish to go racing for the power to inform the story of our firm, our individuals and our merchandise. Three years in the past, it turned clear that issues had been altering and that we wanted to take a critical have a look at Formulation 1 once more. And right here we’re.”

Ford thought-about shopping for its personal group

However between the ambition of returning to F1 and truly signing a deal, there’s nonetheless the step of weighing up all of the choices. Rushbrook revealed that Ford additionally checked out different choices as soon as it was clear that the corporate needed to return to F1, together with the potential for shopping for an present group.

“Earlier than we had this cope with Crimson Bull, there have been a whole lot of discussions happening,” he defined. “Some Formulation 1 groups approached us, and we approached some groups as properly. We would have liked to grasp the panorama and the alternative ways to get into the game.

“We even checked out ‘Okay, ought to we purchase a group ourselves?’ I feel we demonstrated by what this group has develop into, what was Jackie Stewart Racing and Jaguar, that this isn’t our core competency, proper? Sure, we’re in motorsports, however nowhere will we personal or run a group. We all the time go along with companions, whether or not it is Dick Johnson racing in Australia, Penske in NASCAR, Bob Tasca in NHRA or M-Sport in rally.

“You’ll be able to go and do your personal energy unit completely by your self or you can are available as only a buyer energy unit, however then Ford doesn’t have something invested right into a group itself. As quickly as we noticed this as a chance, it turned clear in a short time that it was the appropriate strategy to go. This chance permits us to accomplice with what we imagine is one of the best group within the sequence. We’re complementary, and for us that’s the proper strategy to do it.”

What’s Ford truly contributing?

The massive query in these early conversations was what Ford might truly convey to the Crimson Bull programme apart from a badge and its chequebook, and the way the ability unit programme can be run between the 2 companions, with work already properly beneath approach on the group’s in-house Crimson Bull Powertrains division.

My first query to Christian was ‘What are you on the lookout for in a accomplice?’ and I used to be ready to say what we had been on the lookout for in a accomplice. Within the first 20 minutes of that dialogue there was a really broad alignment,” Rushbrook recalled. “In that first assembly we additionally outlined the areas the place Crimson Bull Racing wanted assist with the ability unit and with the racing group, and the areas the place we needed to contribute and be taught. That course of continues right now, though the listing is longer right now than throughout these preliminary discussions.”

After the primary assembly, the concept was that Ford would primarily assist with {the electrical} components of the 2026 engine, though Rushbrook emphasizes that extra is occurring behind the scenes. “Additive manufacturing is an efficient instance of that. We’ve good assets and supplies for it. That wasn’t on the preliminary listing, however it’s occurring now. The identical goes for contributing to the inner combustion engine and the turbo. These issues weren’t on the preliminary listing both, however there’s a whole lot of information that we’ve got with modelling and testing that may assist Crimson Bull.”

In accordance with Rushbrook, it underlines that Ford is not simply in it for the advertising and marketing publicity but in addition for the aforementioned tech switch to its highway vehicles. “Our predominant focus is on the electrification, the battery cell chemistry, the battery pack, the motor, the inverter, but in addition within the controls and the software program. That could be a massive alternative for us.”

It is a approach of working that’s fully completely different in comparison with what Crimson Bull initially mentioned with Porsche, Horner identified. “From the outset Mark and Jim Farley mentioned ‘You guys do Formulation 1 daily. That is your bread and butter. We’re not going to impose our methodology on you. You inform us, how can we assist? The place can we help?’ It was very a lot an open ebook. It appears like a partnership that you just’re not imposing on the engineers, which typically occurs in these relationships, and what we had been terrified of within the different possibility we had been .”

The spirit of Mateschitz: ‘No threat, no enjoyable’

How aggressive the tip product of that collaboration shall be in 2026 remains to be unknown, though Horner admitted that he was beneath no phantasm that the primary 12 months shall be plain crusing. However he additionally sees a bonus for Ford, because the model won’t get publicly judged too harshly as a result of within the present set-up it would not have full accountability over the engine. “It is a bit like being grandparents”, Horner joked. “You get all the advantages of the child and all of the upsides, however then you definately give it again to the dad and mom and you do not have the sleepless nights and also you don’t have to alter the nappies, so there’s a type of analogy there.

“For us it is simply thrilling to have the Blue Oval again in Formulation 1. In fact, there’s threat related to what we’re doing. Taking over and doing what we’re doing is insane when it comes to the funding and producing our personal engine, however as Dietrich Mateschitz all the time instructed us: ‘No threat, no enjoyable’. That applies to this venture, and it is one thing we could not have carried out with no like-minded accomplice.”