Red Bull-Ford linkup to become official on 2023 F1 car launch day - Reports

The Red Bull-Ford announcement seems imminent as recent reports indicate that the Austrian squad's partnership could be announced on its 2023 F1 car's launch. Red Bull have been in talks with multiple manufacturers for a potential alliance from 2026. A deal with Porsche had reached advanced talks only for the Austrian squad to decline the offer.

The team were also in talks with Honda for extending the partnership beyond the current association that extends till 2025. That has seemingly not materialized either, and now Ford appears to be the manufacturer that could be the one.

The nature of the partnership appears to be one where Ford won't be a power unit supplier. The Austrian team has already put together impressive work in the facility and is looking at only a financial partnership.

In many ways, the partnership could resemble what Alfa Romeo have with Sauber at the moment but on a bigger scale. Technical assistance won't be provided by Ford in any way, and the entire operation will be managed by Red Bull.

A report from the Mirror says that even though the pen has not been put to paper. the partnership is almost finalised and could be announced during Red Bull's car launch:

"Sources have told Mirror Sport that Ford and Red Bull have been in talks and that a deal is expected, though pen is yet to be put to paper. All signs point to the official announcement of their partnership being made at the season launch event on Friday, February 3."

"It is not yet clear exactly how extensive the partnership will be. Ford are not believed to have signed up for the 2026 power unit regulations, while Red Bull have put extensive resource into building their own powertrains division and have a pre-existing relationship with Honda. Those factors suggest Ford may not come in as an engine partner, though it remains to be seen if that will be the case."

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Red Bull selecting Ford makes logical sense

Red Bull opting to go with Ford makes sense, as they aim to have the entire operation, from chassis to power unit, under the same roof. In essence, the Austrian team wanted a partnership/sponsorship deal with another automotive giant and wanted to enjoy full autonomy in its operations.

That was something it was never going to enjoy with Honda as a partner, as the Japanese brand would not have agreed to simply a badging exercise. With Ford not having expertise in V6s, the potential partnership with Red Bull could work well for both entities.