Ford's warning: No “bottomless pit” of money for Red Bull
US-based giants Ford will enter F1 in 2026 through an alliance with Red Bull, a “strategic partnership” which the current constructors' champions hope will cement their dominance.
But any hope that Christian Horner’s team would benefit from their new partner’s vast financial resources have been denied by Mark Rushbrook, the Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports.
Asked if Ford had a “bottomless pit” of money, Rushbrook said: “Definitely not bottomless, I can attest to that. We do go racing in a responsible way, I believe, in all the different series that we go.
“We don’t have an unlimited budget, as much as racing sometimes wants you to go that way.
“We go in strategically with the right partners to win races, but also with a responsible budget.”
“I think this, as an overlay or additional programme, is very special in terms of what the opportunity is and what the real benefit is to the marketing team from our company, to be able to leverage motorsports in a way that we haven’t for a long time.”
Ford are ending a near-20 absence from the F1 grid - they are also involved in World Rally Championship, NASCAR, Australian Supercars.
Red Bull are hoping to power Max Verstappen to a third consecutive championship in the upcoming season, while Honda will continue to manufacture their engines.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
