'Red Bull may team up with Hyundai or Ford'

Red Bull could possibly team up with Hyundai or Ford to build its engines from 2026. That's being reported by Olav Mol in the Ziggo Sport Race Café. Red Bull are said to be looking for a new partner to start production with from 2026.

After Honda withdrew as Red Bull Racing's engine supplier after the 2021 season, the team decided to develop its own engine. Currently, this is done under the name Red Bull Powertrains. This organisation houses much of the knowledge and materials already used at Honda, so Red Bull did not have to start from scratch.

However, a new engine regulation goes into effect in 2026 and it has long seemed that Red Bull would like to work with an external partner again from then on. This summer, it seemed almost a fait accompli that Porsche would become that partner but that deal fell apart because Porsche would want too much say in the organisation. Since then it has been largely quiet on that front.

Two new names, Honda also still an option

So now, according to Mol, things are moving forward again with new discussion partners. Hyundai is even said to have already held talks with Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali about a possible entry. The Korean car brand is already active in rallying and would thus make a move to Formula 1. As an American brand, Ford would also be an attractive partner as three Grand Prix in America are scheduled from next year onward.

Ford has long been thought to want to join Formula 1 with the entry of the new engine rules. A return of Honda is also not ruled out. Hyundai is a notable name in this list, as Helmut Marko had earlier explicitly said that it was not an option in his opinion.