F1 News: Ford bringing some NHRA technology to Red Bull engine
Ford President Jim Farley says that Ford is using technology from drag racing in the development of its 2026 F1 power unit with Red Bull.
“We’re going back to Formula 1 in a way that we haven’t in the past,” Farley said, explaining his decision to lead Ford’s F1 return.
“It turns out that the best aerodynamics are in Formula 1, the best telemetry, the best digital diagnostics.
“And actually, we need all those things for electric and digital cars. So it’s actually going back to the ’70s with a pure tech transfer.
“This is not like owning our team; we’re going there to literally transfer technology,” he added.
“We can offer battery tech for them because in ’26 they’re going to go to like 50 percent electric, and they need high discharge batteries – and we do that in NHRA, for example.
“And on the other hand, we can get telemetry, digital diagnostics, as well as aero, which can can put on our production of electric cars to make the battery smaller.
“They are the best in the world in a lot of these technologies, and we need them desperately as the car business changes.
“So it’s literally like going back to where we were all those years ago; tech transfer.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing F1 team principal, said, “The exchange of ideas and technology are now flowing between the two organizations in the lead-up to the new regulations” in an official statement provided by Ford.
Red Bull Ford Powertrains is focusing on the manufacturing of the internal combustion engine, turbo unit and high-voltage propulsion systems currently, Ford says. Ford is also helping out with the electronics systems. All of these areas of development are places where we expected Ford to be involved.
Farley has spent time at Red Bull Racing’s factory in the United Kingdom.
“I had a chance to spend a lot of time with the team in Milton Keynes and with Adrian Newey,” he explained.
“I think we’re on track. ’26, even though it sounds like a long way away, we have a lot of work to do on the power train, but I’m really happy with the progress.”