https://www.telegraaf.nl/sport/54265219 ... in-de-maak
The impending deal is expected to be announced next Friday, when Red Bull presents the car for next season - the RB19. That will happen in New York, which has already sparked rumours. So it has to do, among other things, with the expected collaboration with Ford. The contracts have yet to be signed, though.
What the relationships will actually look like is still unknown. From 2026, Formula 1 cars will be fitted with new engines. Until then, Verstappen and consorts will still drive with a power source supplied by Honda. After that, a new engine era will begin in the royal class of motorsport. The models will become less complex and cheaper, and the electric part of the powerplant should provide half of the total power. Audi has signed up as a new supplier, in partnership with Sauber's team).
Porsche deal scuttled
Red Bull initially seemed to enter into a partnership with Porsche, but that deal fell through. A partnership with Ford will not only be of financial interest to Red Bull, but with its expertise there, Ford might also be able to provide support as far as the electric part of the engine is concerned. Red Bull will develop the combustion engine itself anyway. A whole department has been set up in Milton Keynes, Red Bull Powertrains, which already employs 300 people.
"We have everything in-house. The only thing now is that the costs are higher for us, but that is accepted by our shareholders," Helmut Marko, the big man behind Red Bull Racing, said last year after the Porsche deal fell through. "We want to be independent, but that does not mean we are not considering a collaboration in the engine sector. We don't really have the expertise in Milton Keynes yet, when it comes to the hybrid part of the engine. But we already have contacts with companies that have very much expertise in that area."
Influencers
The last year Ford was active in Formula 1 was in 2004 with Jaguar Racing. After that year, the team was sold to, yes, Red Bull. So Red Bull and Ford are expected to unveil their plans on Friday. It has already been leaked in America that the 'Ford Motor Company' is sending some influencers, with many followers on social media, to the event in New York. Red Bull Racing has been asked for a comment, but the team would not comment.
Furthermore, it is unlikely that fans will already be able to catch a glimpse of the new car during that presentation in New York. Red Bull will then, like last year, put an old car in a modern jacket and does not want to make the competition any wiser. For the general public, the RB19 will be on display for the first time on 23 February, during the first day of testing in Bahrain. Then, on 5 March, Bahrain will also be the setting for the first Grand Prix of the season, which has a record 23 races.
