The new Red Bull is presented in New York, from 2026 it will have Ford engines

Red Bull Racing unveiled the 2023 Formula 1 season and alliance with Ford today in New York.

The livery of the RB19s of two-time world champion Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez was shown together with the team. There are few differences compared to 2022, apart from a few new sponsors.

«Last year we had an extraordinary car, it would be pointless to revolutionize it. But we also want to grow, so there will be some news» the words of Verstappen. Which news? «Evidently I can’t go into specifics…». We will know from 23 February, when all the single-seaters will take to the track in Sakhir, Bahrain, for the first three days of official testing.

But above all, the significance of the event organized in the Big Apple is Ford’s return to F1. The American manufacturer had abandoned F1 at the end of 2004, after the experience with the Jaguar brand. But it was in the more distant past that he left his mark, with 10 titles as supplier of historic Cosworth engines.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Ford’s motorsports history, which began when my great-grandfather won a race that helped launch our company,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman. Ford and heir to the founder. “Alongside the world champions, we will bring our long tradition of innovation, sustainability and electrification to one of the most visible stages in the world.”

From 2026 (and at least until 2030) Ford will become the supplier of the new Ford power units, which will have a greater electric component and, as regards the combustion engine, will use only sustainable fuels by regulation. AlphaTauri, as customer team, will also mount Ford engines.

Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal: «We expect Ferrari and Mercedes to be competitive and that other teams can make significant improvements. We will see all the new cars in a couple of weeks, but the season will be very long. We know there will be ups and downs. We will have to hold on and ride the wave of last year, continuing on the path we have traced”.

“We chose Ford because from a strategic point of view it is the best possible solution for us – added Horner -. We have had a great adventure with Honda and it will continue for the next three seasons, but we want to design and produce our engines in-house and Ford has very similar plans to ours. Ford is back in F1 after 20 years, it is investing heavily in electric vehicles, therefore it will bring important know-how from this point of view to create the engines for 2026. For us, activating a partnership with them was and is the best choice from a commercial point of view but also technical.