Why Red Bull chose an alliance with Ford over Porsche

Rumors that Red Bull Racing were in talks with Ford over a possible strategic engine-building partnership surfaced shortly after it was announced that the team could not come to an agreement with Porsche on terms of cooperation, although the parties spent considerable time in negotiations.

But yesterday in New York it was officially confirmed that the Ford brand will return to Formula 1 in 2026 and that the legendary blue oval will appear on the new generation of power plants to be produced in Milton Keynes.

And yet, why was Ford chosen? Experts say the financial parameters of the deal with Red Bull are not the most impressive compared to Honda’s investment and Porsche’s offer, which was rejected by Red Bull Racing.

“Ford and Porsche are two great brands,” Horner told Racer. “We negotiated with Porsche, but in the end we did not come to an agreement, but in the case of Ford, we saw from the very beginning a genuine desire to achieve something, and this completely coincided with our own views.

Ford has no interest in acquiring an interest in our business and does not seek to lead the technical side of our business. Overall, we quickly agreed, because this is what the company’s leaders, Bill Ford and Jim Farley, wanted. I think we made the right agreements, both technically and commercially.”

Of course, Formula 1 is interested in the arrival of major car manufacturers. Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of F1, even thought it necessary to personally come to New York, where the alliance between Red Bull and Ford was announced.

True, Domenicali decided not to take part in the presentation ceremony of the new Red Bull Racing car, although it was originally assumed that he would also take the podium in the final, and his performance was even announced by the presenters. There was an awkward moment, but as it turned out, the president of Formula 1 at that time gave an interview to the US radio station SiriusXM, sincerely believing that the script for the ceremony had already been changed and his performance was canceled.

According to journalist Chris Medland, who just spoke to Domenicali at the time, his interlocutor arrived in the United States alone to announce Ford’s return to Formula 1, and the presentation of the RB19 is still an action by the team, with which the leadership of the championship is not the best simple relationship. In general, the president of Formula 1 deliberately avoided participating in the presentation.

Especially since the car presented in New York is not exactly the same RB19 that the team will take to pre-season testing. As Horner acknowledged: “I think the car we showed is different from what you will see in Bahrain. The presentation is primarily a demonstration of the mood of the team ahead of the new season, the introduction of our partners and, of course, the upcoming wonderful collaboration with Ford.

Therefore, of course, what everyone has seen now does not fully match what we are going to bring to Bahrain.”