Exclusive: Ford gives update on 2026 Red Bull F1 engine

The 2025 Formula 1 campaign is only a quarter of the way through, yet a lot of focus and energy is already being directed towards what comes next, particularly regarding the power units for 2026.

The shift to greater electrical deployment, the deletion of the MGU-H, and the use of fully sustainable fuels are key changes. Work is well underway at all manufacturers, including Ford, which has teamed up with Red Bull Powertrains in Milton Keynes.

Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook provided an update, stating that the partnership is growing stronger every day. He confirmed that Ford is contributing more to the project than originally planned, especially on the electrification side and through advanced manufacturing facilities.

"It just continues to grow stronger every day,” Rushbrook told Motorsport.com. “Ever since the very first discussion leading to signing the contract – and to be honest, work already started before the contract was signed."

"Overall, we're on track of what we are delivering to the development of the ICE and the electric components. Obviously, there is still a lot of work to do and a lot of durability to prove out, but in terms of the partnership, the openness and the two-way contribution, it is everything that we wanted and even more than we thought."

Ford's involvement includes building and shipping parts from Dearborn daily for testing in Milton Keynes labs, pushing their processes and facilities to new limits required by F1's precision and timeliness.

Rushbrook highlighted the challenge compared to other motorsport projects, noting that developing an F1 power unit takes significantly longer than developing an entire GT3 car.

Regarding competitiveness in 2026, Rushbrook acknowledged that Red Bull Powertrains and Ford are taking on manufacturers with decades of F1 experience. While internal milestones for power numbers are being met, durability testing is ongoing.

"In terms of hitting the power numbers, absolutely," Rushbrook said. "But then the durability testing has to match that and has to follow that."

He admitted that assessing the opposition's progress is difficult, based largely on hearsay. While Mercedes is reportedly confident, Rushbrook echoed this sentiment shared by Christian Horner.

The confidence for Red Bull and Ford stems from their understanding of the 2026 regulations and what they believe is achievable within those rules.

"When you see and understand the rules, then you're able to, based upon judgement and understanding those rules, decide what should be possible within the margins of those regulations,” explained Rushbrook.

However, he concluded that 2026 remains a step into the unknown, as the true benchmark set by competitors won't be clear until the cars hit the track.