In a surprising turn of events, right after Honda logos made their return on RedBull's 2023 F1 merch, the F1 outfit has been announced to have signed a deal with Ford to produce F1 powertrains for the next set of regulations, coming for the 2026 season.
Porsche initially approached the Austrian energy drink brand for a similar partnership, but the negotiations didn't go through as the German automaker wanted to get 50% of the team in the process. Honda, in the meantime, came back to Red Bull timidly after bailing out at the worst time - just like they did when they sold their affair to Ross Brawn, who then proceeded to win the championship the following year, and it looks like they are now paying the price for their lack of commitment.
Ford left Formula 1 in 2004, with their last title dating back 10 years earlier than that, when a young Michael Schumacher took the championship with Benetton. They will work to build a new gen hybrid power unit alongside RedBull Powertrains, an outfit created to take over what Honda left unattended by shying away from F1. The engines will both both the main Red Bull F1 team and the sister team Alpha Tauri. Honda is still on the list of manufacturers who agreed to supply engine in 2026 though, so it will be interesting to see who get to use the current facilities and employees.
Porsche initially approached the Austrian energy drink brand for a similar partnership, but the negotiations didn't go through as the German automaker wanted to get 50% of the team in the process. Honda, in the meantime, came back to Red Bull timidly after bailing out at the worst time - just like they did when they sold their affair to Ross Brawn, who then proceeded to win the championship the following year, and it looks like they are now paying the price for their lack of commitment.
Ford left Formula 1 in 2004, with their last title dating back 10 years earlier than that, when a young Michael Schumacher took the championship with Benetton. They will work to build a new gen hybrid power unit alongside RedBull Powertrains, an outfit created to take over what Honda left unattended by shying away from F1. The engines will both both the main Red Bull F1 team and the sister team Alpha Tauri. Honda is still on the list of manufacturers who agreed to supply engine in 2026 though, so it will be interesting to see who get to use the current facilities and employees.
