The president of Ford Motorsports gave an interesting interview to Motorsport’s media channels, explaining the American brand’s involvement.
In the upcoming Formula 1 season, the synergy between Red Bull and Ford will become a reality, with the well-known American manufacturer playing a much larger role than expected in the creation of the 2026 Power Unit. Work on the project began some time ago, and over the months, the partnership has grown stronger thanks to Ford’s 360-degree involvement.
On this topic, Ford Motorsports President Mark Rushbrook gave an insightful interview to Motorsport’s official channels. Here’s what he said: “The partnership has been strengthening every day, from the early meetings and the signing of the contract—even though work had already started before that. We are contributing in several ways. Overall, we are on track with the internal combustion engine and the electric side. Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do, especially regarding durability, but the partnership, openness, trust, and contribution from both sides have been excellent so far. It’s what we hoped for—and honestly, it’s more than we expected.”
Rushbrook then added: “Initially, the focus was on electrification. But with our research center and 3D printing machines, we can produce components in real time—we are literally making parts every day in Dearborn, which are then shipped and analyzed in Milton Keynes.”
The F1 project clearly represents a step forward for Ford as a company: “We’re not lacking racing experience, but Formula 1 pushes the bar even higher. For example, the development time for the GT3 was shorter. The Mustang GT3 was developed in two and a half years, whereas we’ll dedicate over three and a half years to the creation of just one power unit. But in that time, we’re constantly working at a pace that would have been enough to design an entire car in those two and a half years.”
Speaking about the collaboration with Red Bull, Ford’s motorsports chief added: “We’re already in a good place with the 2026 engine, although of course there are always surprises—because you can never hit 100% of your targets. In terms of power output, we are definitely on track. Then it’s about seeing, through reliability testing, how to maintain that. Is everything working perfectly? No, but that’s the reality of any new program. Issues are tackled as they arise, and what matters is how you respond—to urgency and in terms of team mindset. So we react quickly to what we see.”
And finally, a comment on the competition: “When you analyze the rules, you evaluate what’s achievable within those regulations. We’ve set targets for ourselves and we’ll try to meet them—but we don’t know what goals Mercedes and Ferrari have set, whether their assessments are higher or lower than ours. Anyone can say they’re on the right path—but you can still be on the right path even with different numbers.”
Photo: Ford.com