The saga surrounding who could provide the power units for Red Bull Racing continue to swirl as Ford are now rumored to be set to collaborate with Red Bull on their powertrains.
While Christian Horner has said he wants Red Bull to make their own power units for 2026 and beyond, other suppliers are welcome to contribute, and it seems Ford may surprisingly fit that bill. While Porsche dropped out of negotiations with Red Bull and Audi and Honda set to be involved, Ford would have little say in how to build the engines, and they would not demand more control as Porsche did with Red Bull.
The partnership would be a more of a shared development/sponsorship with the defending world drivers and constructors team, as Red Bull have maintained they want to nearly fully develop their own units, but the extra resources Ford could provide would be a welcome addition to the Milton Keynes side.
While the collaboration may seem surprising, it would not be unheard of as Red Bull already sponsor Ford in WRC competition. Ford has the money and resources to help Red Bull, but not the facilities Red Bull powertrains has. While it may be only a small sponsorship between the two sides, the resources Ford has and the blitz into expanding into the US for Formula 1 as a whole could see the partnership be very beneficial for both sides. Ford was last in F1 in 1999 when it bought Stewart racing and renamed it to reflect their Jaguar brand.