Rumor: Three more manufacturers eyeing F1 in 2026 (2nd Update)

With Honda now favoring doing an entire engine themselves, and we have speculated elsewhere that they could be the engine supplier for the Andretti Global entry come 2026, that leaves Hyundai or Ford to badge the Red Bull engine.

According to Autosport sources, Ford has emerged as the leading candidate to badge Red Bull’s engine.

Given how popular F1 is right now, OEMs are knocking down the door to get in, and the cheapest way to get in is not by designing and building your own engine, but to badge someone else’s.

Ford has a history with the Red Bull team.

Ford last officially involved in F1 with Jaguar from 2000 to 2004, but the team never achieved the levels of success it hoped for.

After pulling the plug on the operation, it sold the squad to Red Bull which went on to multiple world championship successes.

Ford also badged the Cosworth engines of the Jordan team in 2003 and 2004 as part of a separate deal to its work effort.

Ford is exploring options with Red Bull, with the two companies already working together in WRC.

It is suggested that Ford’s preferred route is very different from Porsche, which wanted more control of the Red Bull team as well as ownership of shares.

Elsewhere, we have rumored that Porsche will buy into the Williams team, and the fact that the team just ousted its Team Principle and Technical Chief lends credence to a tie-up with Porsche, and Porsche putting its people in those positions.

As for Hyundai…..Former Renault Formula 1 boss Cyril Abiteboul was announced as Hyundai Motorsport’s new team principal of its World Rally Championship and speculation is that could lead to an involvement with F1.

Might Hyundai badge the Renault engine, or co-develop the new 2026 one together? Never say never.

Honda’s potential interest in building F1 engines for 2026 and beyond has been confirmed by Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe.

“As HRC, we have registered as a PU manufacturer after 2026,” confirmed Watanabe during Honda’s 2023 Motor Sports Activity Plan Presentation, as quoted by the Japanese subsidiary of Motorsport.com.

“The F1 regulations from 2026 onwards are moving in the direction of carbon neutrality. In addition, the fact that electrification is also being promoted, and the carbon neutrality and electrification that Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is promoting, is the same. The targets match.

“As a racing company, we have registered as a manufacturer in order to advance research on racing.

“There is also the fact that November 15 was the deadline [for registration]. [We] have registered as a manufacturer in order to continue [this research].”

The decision to register means Honda still have time to figure out whether or not to commit to a step-up in its F1 activities for 2026 and beyond.

This still leaves questions as to who, if anyone, will badge the Red Bull engine in 2026. It could be Honda, but we suspect that may decide to do an entire engine themselves since they have all the know-how, people and facilities.

If they only do the electrification portion of the Red Bull engine it is likely the engine cam covers will say Red Bull and not Honda.  Honda would likely get a decal on the engine cover. Will that be enough to make it worth their investment?

Ford or Hyundai, neither of which have any current F1 engine experience, could get the benefits of being in F1 without all the cost by simply paying Red Bull a hefty annual fee to badge their engine.

One rumor making the rounds was that Andretti Global was talking to Ford about F1, and it is possible they could buy their engines from Red Bull and badge them Ford. Red Bull would get some needed revenue and F1 would get another OEM.

Ford could do the electrification portion of the Red Bull engine for Andretti Global, much like Honda might do it for the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri teams.

Andretti Global has already signed a letter of intent to run Renault engines if they get an entry to F1, but given how unreliable they are, one has to question that logic.  Plus, F1 and the FIA have made it pretty clear that Andretti is not getting into F1 unless they are associated with a new OEM.

It is likely that Andretti Global needs an interim engine supply for 2024 and 2025, and that could be where Renault comes in.

All speculation for now, if and when, Andretti Global gets approved to enter F1.

(GMM) Honda, Porsche and perhaps even Ford may be about to surprise the Formula 1 world by signing up for the new 2026 engine rules.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, although some think Honda’s potential decision would be a deeper collaboration with Red Bull, the energy drink company appears determined to maintain full control of its new engine subsidiary Red Bull Powertrains.

Indeed, the subsidiary has signed up for the FIA’s 2026 rules as a ‘new’ engine supplier, giving extra life to rumors that it is Ford that is interested in a collaboration with Red Bull.

Honda, on the other hand, go it alone with a full powertrains project and team up with another F1 outfit.

There are also still rumblings in the F1 paddock that Porsche is still in talks with teams about potentially joining fellow Volkswagen brand Audi on the 2026 grid.

McLaren and Porsche have a successful past relationship in Formula 1 from their collaboration in the 80s, triggering suggestions Zak Brown may be interested in firing up a works deal to replace the existing customer deal with Mercedes.

“We’re very happy with Mercedes,” McLaren supremo Brown said in Abu Dhabi. “I’m a believer that you can win a world championship with a customer engine.

“There’s obviously benefits to being a works team with some of the advanced knowledge that you get, but we have a long-term contract with Mercedes, we’re very happy with the collaboration, and we aren’t really spending too much time thinking about 2026 and beyond.”

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Sport1.de is reporting that there are talks taking place that would see an all American hookup between the Andretti Global Motorsports and Ford to enter Formula One together.

Mario and Michael Andretti confirmed his group are well under way with their development plans for a car to join F1 in 2024 and they are merely awaiting the green light from the FIA.

However, the Andretti/Ford alliance would only come into full effect in 2026 and Andretti would require an interim F1 power unit partner for the two seasons prior to 2026.