The American car company has tied up with the Milton Keynes-based squad to work on the new 2026 engine that is being prepared by the Red Bull Powertrains division.
Ford has been tapped up because it offers the exact battery expertise Red Bull needs for the new engine regulations that are coming into play – where electrical energy will account for around 50% of the overall power.
Speaking at a 2024 season launch for the Ford Performance motorsport division on Wednesday night, its CEO Jim Farley offered an update on the progress as he said he was extremely bullish about progress.
“I had a chance to spend a lot of time with the team in Milton Keynes, and with Adrian Newey, and I think we're on track,” he said on stage at the event in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“2026, even though it sounds like a long way away, we have a lot of work to do on the powertrain, but I'm really happy with the progress. I wish I could tell you more, but I would say we're on track.”
While Ford’s tie-up with Red Bull marks a return to F1 for the first time since the early 2000s, having briefly supplied engines to Jordan and owning Jaguar before it was sold in 2004, Farley said its comeback is a completely different approach.
He explained that with F1’s power units shifting more towards the electric technology being sold to consumers, the opportunities for direct technical transfer from track to road are something that has not been offered since the 1970s.
Source: Autosport