Formula 1 has long been a European affair. Cars were unveiled under rain clouds hanging over Silverstone or on Italy’s famous Fiorano tarmac. But on January 15, the F1 world will look to the muscle car’s birthplace, Detroit, for Red Bull’s unveiling of its 2026 challenger.
Ford and Red Bull Racing will unveil their 2026 car at the former’s headquarters, along with sister team Visa Cash App RB. While this will prove to be a great opportunity to reach a growing American audience, it’s also a promise from the brands’ partnership: Ford’s input is much more than just a logo on a hood.
Red Bull Ford Powertrains, the team’s engine division, will debut in 2026, with the American brand providing technical support based on years of road car experience.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has made it clear that this joining of forces is a “pure technology transfer” arrangement, and not just the signing of a fairly large check. So if you consider yourself a fan of the Blue Oval, you’ll want to pay close attention.
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
It would be easy to roll your eyes at these types of ventures. For a sport once dominated by cryptocurrency and betting affiliates, it can be difficult to take seriously. But what Ford and Red Bull have is a real knowledge sharing.
This season brings a new set of rules to F1. A whole new set of aerodynamics is implemented, but the really interesting change comes in the form of a new powerplant. With a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electric propulsion, this is the furthest F1 has ever leaned into battery and EV technology. And if you haven’t noticed, street car marketing does the same thing.
Ford will therefore learn from developments in motorsport.
F1 cars need to dump huge amounts of electrical energy quickly. Ford will use the research and development in this effort to produce lighter and more powerful batteries for its future road cars, while developing the hybrid aspect of the power unit. But plans change.
Photo by: Ford
“The original list was focused on the electrification part of it: the battery cell, the motor, the inverter, the software and the calibration board. That was the list in the first place, and it certainly delivered,” Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook said. Motorsport.
“But what we didn’t expect and what wasn’t initially a priority for us was the combustion engine. That changed during the program, especially because our road car cycling plan has changed.”
The Michigan-based team will continue to develop ICE, hybrid and EV road cars and therefore wants to capitalize on F1 development as much as possible to support this. In fact, the choice to do so was directly linked to what appears to be a long and successful future of internal combustion in the championship.
“A lot of the actual parts are made in Dearborn [Michigan, USA] are now located on the combustion engine side of the drive unit. Those parts are made daily and shipped daily.”
The necessary precision has pushed Ford forcefully to a “next level” of quality and sizing – something that will likely trickle down into daily production processes.
With both F1 and Ford getting their hands dirty in ICE, the brand’s engineers will collect data that directly supports the fan-favorite road cars. Rushbrook even teased a V8 with a level of electrification in the future.
Max Verstappen’s verdict
There are fears that the 2026 powerplants will sound more like a Dyson than an F-150. After hearing his new power unit start up on the test bench, the four-time champion’s concerns were allayed.
“It sounded good,” he told the newspaper Talking Bull podcast (around 11:20 p.m.). “Of course you hear it on a dyno, but it sounded clear… I’m not sure if it was engineered on the sound, but it made a good sound.”
This is a strong statement of support.
With Audi launching its team later this month and Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda also soon unveiling their power unit development, the manufacturer war begins in earnest. And it is we who will reap the benefits.
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