When was The last time Ford was in F1? What is this about?

When was The last time Ford was in F1? Ford likely isn’t the first name that springs to mind when you think of Formula 1, especially if you’re under the age of 40. After all, the last time Ford had any F1 association was almost 20 years ago, way back in 2004. And it was called “Jaguar” at the time. But the Blue Oval has a rich and storied history in the series and remains the third most successful engine manufacturer ever in F1 behind only Ferrari and Mercedes.

In all, Ford-powered cars scored a staggering 174 F1 Grand Prix wins, 10 F1 Constructor’s Championships, and 13 Drivers’ Championships to its name beginning with the 1967 season. Many of those successes occurred in close partnership with Lotus and engine partner Cosworth Racing, with whom Ford developed its now famous Ford Cosworth DFV V-8 engine.

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When was The last time Ford was in F1?

Buckle up. Ford Motor Company today announced a historic return to the richest, most technologically advanced, and popular form of motorsport in the world — Formula 1. The company is partnering with Red Bull Racing, the defending F1 champion in both the driver’s and constructor’s championship, to build hybrid powertrains for the 2026 season, when new regulations take effect.

Decades have passed since Ford’s F1 engine constructing glory days. The last time a Ford-powered car won the F1 driver’s championship was 1994, when Michael Schumacher captured his first with the Benetton team. Not since 2004 has Ford participated in F1 — as an owner of Jaguar Racing.

“After a 22-year hiatus of Ford being in Formula 1, we’re going back,” Mark Rushbrook, the Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports, told R&T. “We’ll be competing from 2026 through 2030. The entry point is strategically as a technical partner with Red Bull Racing and specifically Red Bull Powertrains, which will be renamed Red Bull-Ford Powertrains. We’ll be a strategic partner to develop the new power unit.”

The Red Bull-Ford engines will power both Red Bull F1 cars and the outfit’s sister team, Scuderia AlphaTauri, so the plan is to have four cars on the grid come 2026. The team will design and build the new hybrid engines at Red Bull’s campus in Milton Keynes, Great Britain.

Ford’s announcement comes at a time when F1’s popularity is growing rapidly and globally. Outside of World Cup soccer, there is no form of sport that reaches an audience nearly as large, and on every continent. In other words, in all the places where Ford sells cars. F1 has seen its biggest growth in the U.S.

The Netflix series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” has become a pop culture juggernaut, and for the first time, the year 2023 will see three Grand Prix in America (Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas). For years up until the Circuit of the Americas in Austin opened in 2012, F1 held no races in the U.S. at all.

Will Lamborghini join F1?

Lamborghini has not formally declared that it will be participating in Formula 1 (F1) as an engine supplier or constructor. Actually, according to Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, the company has no desire in competing in Formula One.

There are several reasons Lamborghini might not be considering the Formula One class. F1 is a very costly sport, to start. To be competitive, Lamborghini would have to spend a lot of money creating a new vehicle and engine, as well as assembling a team. It’s a highly competitive sport, to start with. Despite making a significant expenditure, Lamborghini would not be certain of success. Third, Lamborghini is a profitable business even without Formula One. The business is extremely successful and only sells a small number of high-performance vehicles annually.

There are a few additional reasons, though, why Lamborghini might be considering the F1. First off, Formula One is a popular worldwide sport. F1 might be used by Lamborghini to expand its consumer base and brand awareness. F1 is a showcase for technology, second. Lamborghini may utilize Formula One to research and develop new technologies for its road vehicles. Third, the Formula One sport is highly esteemed. For Lamborghini, winning races and championships in Formula One would be a significant accomplishment.

All things considered, Lamborghini’s chances of entering Formula One are slim. The business hasn’t entirely ruled out the option, though.

Here are a few more explanations for why Lamborghini would not be considering the Formula One:

The Volkswagen Group owns Audi, which in turn owns Lamborghini. Porsche and Audi are the two F1 brands currently owned by the VW Group. It is improbable that the Volkswagen Group would permit Lamborghini to compete in Formula One alongside its own brands.
Lamborghini is renowned for producing opulent and exotic sports vehicles. Road cars from Lamborghini are not like F1 cars at all. To compete in Formula One, Lamborghini would have to build an entirely new vehicle and engine.
The brand Lamborghini is specialized. Every year, it manufactures a minuscule quantity of cars. This indicates that Lamborghini’s F1 investment budget is constrained.

It is still feasible that Lamborghini will eventually enter Formula One (F1) despite these obstacles. The corporation may choose to enter the sport if it determines that the advantages of Formula One exceed the expenditures.

Why is Honda leaving F1?

After the 2025 season, Honda will withdraw from Formula One to concentrate on creating electric cars and other environmentally friendly technology.

In order to reach its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Honda stated that it must reallocate resources to “electrification technologies, fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies” when announcing its plan to withdraw from Formula One in October 2020.

Recent years have seen Honda become a successful engine supplier to Formula One, helping Max Verstappen win his first world title in 2021. But the COVID-19 pandemic has also put the business under more and more financial strain.

Honda is one of the most successful and well-liked engine providers, therefore its decision to quit Formula One is a huge setback for the sport. But as the auto industry shifts to electric vehicles, it also represents a sign of the times.

Up to the end of the 2025 season, Red Bull Powertrains will continue to get engines from Honda. Red Bull and Ford will then collaborate to create Red Bull’s own engines for the 2026 season and beyond.

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