Ford boss reacts to Formula 1 rumors. Is a historic marque returning to Formula 1? Recently, there has been a lot of speculation about a possible entry of Ford. The US manufacturer was mentioned as a potential partner of Red Bull Racing. Now Ford boss Mark Rushbrook has commented on the rumours.
Formula 1 is booming in the USA. Already this year there have been two races in the United States of America, one in Miami, another in Austin/Texas. In the coming season, there will even be a third Grand Prix in Las Vegas. After the US team Haas F1, which has been participating in the World Championship since 2016, there will also be another driver from overseas in Logan Sargeant at the Williams racing team from 2023.
According to various media reports, the US car manufacturer Ford now also wants to take advantage of this boom and is reportedly thinking intensively about a return to the pinnacle of motorsport. Ford boss Mark Rushbrook now made reference to the rumours, but did not give a full explanation.
In a media session that was supposed to be about the NASCAR series in which Ford participates, Rushbrook was asked about the prevailing Formula One speculation and said:
“It should be clear to everyone that we are here to talk about NASCAR. That’s the race series we’re focused on,” said the Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports, before going on to say a little more.
“It’s certainly the case that there’s a lot of speculation around a Formula One entry,” Rushbrook continued. “But it’s not something we’re going to get into factually right now.”
Ford last officially competed in Formula One with Jaguar from 2000 to 2004. However, the team never had the success it had hoped for. After pulling out of the project, Ford sold the racing team to Red Bull, which went on to win several world championships.
Ford is now being linked to the Austrian team’s future engine plans at Red Bull, of all places. It is said that it is conceivable that Ford could become a sponsor and/or provide technical support for engine construction for 2026. However, Ford does not want to run its own factory team or produce its own engine.
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