What Ford’s boss said to Christian Horner about RBPT after Porsche deal fell through

Follow us on Google Discover

The 2026 Formula 1 season has the potential to completely shake up the order of the grid.

New regulations are arriving in Formula 1 which may bring to an end some of the closest racing we’ve seen in some time.

Sauber have yet to score a point this season, but in any other era of F1, they wouldn’t be at the back of the grid given how close they are to Red Bull and yet the paddock has converged in such a way that means they can’t get near the top ten.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has talked about how close the grid is this season and it’s come as a detriment to Sergio Perez who is fighting for his Formula 1 future.

One of the most important aspects of F1’s new ruleset is the new power units being introduced to the sport.

Engines will have a far more powerful battery that will generate three times as much electrical power compared to the current components.

F1 are hoping to produce the world’s most efficient hybrid engines with the aim for them also to be as quick as possible.

Red Bull will team up with Ford in 2026 to create Red Bull Powertrains and in an interview with Formel1, Ford’s global director Mark Rushbrook was speaking about how the partnership was formed.

The rule change was supposed to encourage new power unit suppliers to enter F1 with Andretti hoping to team up with General Motors if and when they eventually join the grid.

Porsche were initially lined up to work with Red Bull after Aston Martin acquired the exclusive rights to work with their current partners Honda.

However, when the Porsche deal fell through, Rushbrook wasted no time trying to convince Horner that he should team up with Ford instead.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Why Red Bull are now working with Ford on their 2026 F1 power units

Speaking about how the partnership began, Rushbrook said: “When it became clear that it wasn’t going to work with Porsche, I literally got Christian Horner’s email address, sent him an email and asked, ‘Hey, maybe you’d like to talk to us?'”.

Christian Horner went on to further explain that after initial discussions took place, it was Red Bull’s previous work that convinced Ford to commit to the project.

Red Bull Powertrains were already creating prototype engines and it was one of the power units they had on display that he believes sealed the deal.

Ford have a long history in Formula 1, helping the likes of Lotus, Benetton, and McLaren win championships and dominating the sport in the 1970s in particular.

Their last appearance on the grid was with Jaguar in 2004 before they were bought – coincidentally – by Red Bull.

Martin Brundle already left impressed by Red Bull Powertrains

There are plenty of rumours flying around the Formula 1 paddock right now talking about how each power unit is shaping up for 2026.

Alpine want to replace their Renault engines with Mercedes power units going forward, taking the unusual step of becoming a customer team rather than their own works outfit.

There are mixed feelings in the F1 paddock about Red Bull Powertrains which shouldn’t come as a surprise given Ford’s long absence from the sport.

However, Martin Brundle has been left very impressed by Red Bull’s development of their first engine and believes the operation looks very professional.

Ultimately, nobody will know who’s produced the best engine until the cars take to the track for pre-season testing in 2026.