Ford becomes the technical partner of RBPT and will power two F1 teams in 2026

Red Bull and Ford announced a collaboration this Friday afternoon during the unveiling of the RB19 livery show in New York. For the occasion, Ford’s President and CEO, Jim Farley, came in person to announce the good news.

« Ford is coming back to F1, after more than 20 years. » he enthuses. « We have looked at several possibilities, as conscientious managers, and we wanted to go in a direction that seemed natural to us. We have decided to have a strategic and technical partnership with Red Bull Power Train starting in 2026. We want to help Christian [Horner] and their talented drivers to be the best on the track. This is an extraordinary moment for the entire Ford family and our nearly 200,000 employees worldwide. »

« This is a very big agreement that we are making here. We are very excited to promote our electric vehicle technologies to an increasingly younger audience, and we are very excited to do this with Red Bull and you, Christian.

Electricity at the heart of Ford’s communication.

Ford’s communication appears to define the rejuvenation of Formula 1 spectators as key to their return to the sport, but also seems to consider the electric aspect as very important. The CEO of Ford even arrived at the RB19 presentation set in an electric vehicle.

On his part, Christian Horner is also very happy with this signing. It’s a great moment for us and we are eager to start this journey for 2026 and welcome the Ford brand back to F1. Red Bull Ford engine and powertrain will be truly exciting. For us, benefiting from your experience and skills in electric vehicles is a significant asset.

Ford less complicated than Porsche

Red Bull has experienced a significant failure in recent months as they were in negotiations with Porsche to conclude the arrival of the German manufacturer in Formula 1. However, Porsche’s requirement to take over the Formula 1 team rendered the negotiations void. Consequently, Horner is pleased to find Ford as a much less complicated partner: “From the first moments we spoke together, it was very clear that there was a natural synergy between our two entities, and this made the contract easier because the desire was shared on both sides.”

Note that for now, Red Bull is officially powered by Honda-RBPT. Honda, the previous engine supplier for Red Bull, has officially left F1, transferring their technology to Red Bull Power Train (RBPT), thereby allowing Red Bull to operate their engines themselves. RBPT provides engines for both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, and Ford will replace Honda in this role.

« It’s the supply of the engine block, so Red Bull Power Train will provide both teams in 2026. It might be in 2026, but in terms of the motorization, it’s tomorrow. So they will help us prepare for this new step as best as possible during the next three seasons. »

The exact operation of the strategic and technical partnership has not been specified, but renaming the RBPT engine to Ford is one possibility. As Ford’s communication is focused on electric, they could also assist RBPT solely with the electric motor and batteries while RBPT handles the internal combustion engine and turbo.