Passageone of the giants of the automotive industry, will return to Formula 1 in 2026.
The American company has confirmed its arrival in F1 when major changes to the regulations are made, signing as the sixth engine manufacturer What will there be in that season with Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi (will be a Sauber supplier), Alpine and Honda (not yet linked to any team for that season, but committed to the FIA).
“This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Ford’s sporting history, which has begun when my great grandfather won a race that helped start our company”manifests itself William Fordthe CEO of Ford Motor Company;
This comeback is going to be big in collaboration with the Red Bull teamthe current Formula 1 champion, who ultimately did not come to an agreement with Porsche and will work with Ford, the very company that in 2004 he sold the Jaguar team to Red Bull.
It is expected that this alliance will not change things much for Red Bull, beyond the support of Ford and support for the development of power units.
“As an independent engine manufacturer, being able to benefit from the expertise of a manufacturer like Ford puts us in a good position against the competition.” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Alpha Tauri It will also have Ford engines, which will thus move about four cars and nothing more is expected.
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Five facts from Ford’s history in Formula 1
The dominance of the Cosworth DFV
Between the 1967 and 1983 seasons, the British company’s Ford-backed Cosworth DFV engine achieved 155 wins, 12 drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ championships in 17 years. This V8 engine made history in Formula 1 until the arrival of turbo engines, associated with teams such as Lotus, Williams, McLaren, Brabham or Tyrrell.
A glorious page with Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher’s first Formula 1 race, his first win and his first world championship came in cars powered by Ford.
The German debuted in a Ford V8-powered Jordan in 1991 and in that campaign scored his first points with the Benetton team’s evolution of that driver. 1992 saw Schumacher’s first win with Benetton Ford in Belgium and in 1994 he would be champion with eight wins. In 1995 Benetton was already running a Renault car in Schumacher’s second campaign in the championship.
Jaguar, a last ditch effort
In 1997 Jackie Stewart and his son Paul introduced their team, Stewart, which had the support of Ford from the start and the V10 engine that Sauber had already launched in 1996. They scored only 11 points in the first two years , but they stood out in 1999 with a win for Johnny Herbert and three podium finishes for Rubens Barrichello.
In 2000, Ford decided to take full control by buying the team and renaming it Jaguar, its premium line. They brought in Eddie Irvine, the Irish runner-up in 1999 with Ferrari, but the results Ford had hoped for never came: just one podium finish in 2001 and another in 2002.
The team never managed to finish higher than seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, while the Cosworth engines also had poor results with Minardi, Arrows and Jordan.
The final triumph and farewell
The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix saw the memorable and controversial victory of Giancarlo Fisichella in a Jordan Ford, with the Ford name on the same Cosworth engine used by Jaguar and Minardi. Jaguar added several points in this championship from Mark Webber.
The following year, Jaguar Racing had their farewell season in F1. The team finished seventh out of 10 manufacturers, with seven points from Webber and three from Christian Klien. Red Bull acquired the team and took control from 2005.
The numbers
Ford has won a total of 174 Formula 1 Grands Prix as an engine supplier, as well as 10 constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships. After Mercedes and Ferrari, it is the third most successful engine manufacturer in the history of the class.
