{"id":171014,"date":"2025-06-09T19:19:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T19:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/171014\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T19:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T19:19:09","slug":"ford-acknowledge-f1-2026-risk-as-red-bull-alliance-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/171014\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford acknowledge F1 2026 \u2018risk\u2019 as Red Bull alliance begins"},"content":{"rendered":"

The F1 2026 season is bringing with it plenty of changes thanks to a new regulatory set designed to transform the open-wheel racers. But for teams like Red Bull Racing, there are even greater changes afoot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Red Bull is leaving Honda behind, instead partnering with Ford to create its Red Bull Powertrains. In a new interview, Mark Rushbrook \u2014global director of Ford Performance \u2014 admitted that there\u2019s some \u201crisk\u201d in the endeavor, but that the American automaker is invested in the sport for the long term.<\/p>\n

Ford director points out F1 2026 regulation \u2018risk\u2019<\/p>\n

While every team on the Formula 1 grid is facing a regulatory sea change coming into 2026, some outfits will have more on their plate than others thanks to a change in power unit supplier.<\/p>\n

Red Bull Racing is one such team. In 2026, it will part ways with longtime engine supplier Honda and instead work with Ford. The team has its own power unit company \u2014 Red Bull Powertrains \u2014 which the American automaker will join in order to craft a state-of-the-art power unit for the season.<\/p>\n

Every team will effectively be starting from scratch in its PU design thanks to the new regulations, but considering that this is Ford\u2019s first foray into F1 in decades, there\u2019s even greater pressure.<\/p>\n

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That challenge is exactly what Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance, discussed in a recent interview with Motorsport.com\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0Dutch arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time there are new rules, especially if it\u2019s for the power unit and the chassis at the same time, there is \u2014 I wouldn\u2019t say fear, but there is \u2014 a known risk of teams starting it on different levels,\u201d Rushbook explained in an exclusive conversation with Motorsport.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing is how we balance that again. It\u2019s about how we react as a sport and as opponents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the risk, Rushbrook admitted that \u201cI am happy with how they are going so far\u201d in terms of power unit development.<\/p>\n

Rushbrook also addressed the ongoing concern that the greater electrification and energy deployment mandated for 2026 could create a reviled lift-and-coast form of racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is also part of the process with all the manufacturers,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone obviously has their own simulations and we have to ask: what does that mean for racing and the show we offer fans?<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the sport to be successful, we all have to work together and make sure it is still a good show. Of course all teams want to win, but together we also share the responsibility to provide good racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, he\u2019s not keen on making any definitive statements until we see what happens when the cars hit the track. When asked if he was as concerned about potentially boring races as many other folks in the paddock have been, he replied, \u201cI don\u2019t really see it as a fear. We have to see how it turns out and then react based on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rushbrook also addressed the suggestion that the 2026 engine regulations could be scrapped in favor of V10 engines \u2014 something Ford isn\u2019t exactly interested in.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Ford Motor Company we believe that there has to be at least some form of electrification,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is also partly what attracted us to the 2026 regulations. It\u2019s about the balance between the internal combustion engine and electrification.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes that balance have to be fifty-fifty? No, not necessarily. As long as we see the opportunity to contribute, to learn and to use technology for our street cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read next:\u00a0How much does it cost to race in F1? The incredible price young drivers pay<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The F1 2026 season is bringing with it plenty of changes thanks to a new regulatory set designed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[4199,548,707,4200,225,12,226,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-171014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-f1","9":"tag-ford","10":"tag-formula-1","11":"tag-formula1","12":"tag-home-page","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-red-bull","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114655026518752118","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}