When the engine regulations undergo a major change ahead of the 2026 season, many team will use the opportunity to make alterations to their power unit plans.
In this year, Audi will complete their takeover of Sauber, taking advantage of the chance to start from square one at the same time as all of the other teams.
Red Bull will also be ending their partnership with Honda prior to the 2026 season, with the energy drink giants officially set to be powered by Red Bull Powertrains.
The team have also recently announced that Red Bull Powertrains will be partnering with Ford, as the car manufacturing giants return to F1 after nearly two decades away.
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There had been talks with Honda and Porsche over plans for 2026 and beyond but the team eventually chose to go with Ford, something with Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko claims has taken the team full circle.
“It’s a good deal with Ford. I was in Detroit for it, the talks went well and harmoniously from the start. We wrapped things up pretty quickly,” he explained.
“From 2026 the engine will be called Red Bull Ford. For me, this closes a circle.
“It was out start in Formula 1 with our own team. Unlike this time, we didn’t negotiate in the USA. It was in England.
“But it was the beginning of our success story. That’s why you can really say we’ve come full circle.”
Red Bull first got involved in Formula 1 when they partnered with Sauber and Ford in the 90’s, meaning they starting their F1 journey with Ford.
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When Red Bull Racing then joined the grid in the mid 2000’s, they purchased Jaguar from the Ford Motor Company, making Ford a crucial part of every step of Red Bull’s F1 journey.
There were initially concerns from the likes of Ferrari that Red Bull Ford would be receiving the benefits of being a new entrant in 2026, despite having years’ worth of knowledge about Formula 1.
Since then, assurances have reportedly been given to the rest of the grid surrounding Ford’s involvement in Red Bull, outlining that they are just a partner, making the influence of their knowledge limited.