Red Bull is expected to announce an engine partnership with Ford at their 2023 season launch on Friday.
Speculation has surrounded Red Bull and Ford for months, with reports indicating the growing chances of a partnership ahead of the 2026 regulation changes.
An article recently published by the BBC’s Andrew Benson has confirmed these suggestions – revealing this heavily anticipated collaboration has been leaked via Italian media.
This partnership will not be on a technical level, which is unsurprising given the investment and resources that would be required for Ford to become a successful F1 supplier.
Ford lacks the necessary foundations to produce Red Bull’s engines, but this has not stopped the American brand from agreeing to a financial and marketing deal with the F1 Constructor.
Ford will contribute to the funding of Red Bull’s engine from the 2026 season, at which stage the Austrian team will develop their power units via Red Bull Powertrains.
Honda remains quite heavily involved in Red Bull’s engine production, but it is now Ford that has positioned itself as the next major partner for the Austrian squad.
Red Bull has invested heavily in securing the necessary investment, infrastructure and personnel to produce their engines independently from 2026 onwards.
Traditionally, their dependence on another manufacturer has been something of a limiting factor for their performance.
Despite significant scepticism, Red Bull successfully established a Championship-winning partnership with Honda – who worked exclusively with Red Bull and its sister team.
Moving forward, it seems clear that Red Bull has no intentions of becoming dependent on an external party for their power units and overall success.
As a result, they have taken the necessary steps to produce them independently.
Ford’s role will be to provide Red Bull with financial support for engine production. In the meantime, they will benefit from having their name alongside one of F1’s most decorated teams.
Formula 1’s growth – especially in the States – almost certainly contributed to this deal, and is set to be an increasingly important factor in future commercial agreements.
