Cosworth: F1 return not on radar despite Ford's comeback

Ford announced last week that it would be returning to F1 in 2026 through a technical partnership with Red Bull.

The deal will see it work with the energy drink giant’s powertrains division for the next generation of power units that will be introduced in 2026, which place a greater focus on electric power and sustainable fuels.

It marks a return of the Ford name to F1 for the first time since 2004, when it owned the Jaguar team - later sold to Red Bull - and rebadged the Cosworth V10 engines as Ford.

Cosworth has a long and largely successful history in F1, sitting third in the all-time engine win rankings behind only Ferrari and Mercedes. It has 10 constructors’ title wins to its name, its heyday coming with the DFV engine used between 1967 and 1983 that was developed in collaboration with Ford.

Although the changes to the regulations have sparked a fresh wave of manufacturer interest in F1, with six parties now signed up for 2026, Cosworth has not been looking at a potential return.

“It hasn’t been a focus,” Hal Reisinger, the CEO of Cosworth, told Motorsport.com. “We’re very thankful that we’ve been able to earn a significant amount of automotive OEM business.

“That requires dedication of all your resources if you want to do it well, and I don’t believe in doing anything less than excellent.

“It would require us to create another part of our organisation to properly serve Formula 1, which up until this point in this conversation hasn’t presented itself in a compelling enough business proposition for me to consider.”

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner, Jim Farley, CEO of Ford

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Cosworth was most recently involved in F1 through the V8 era, initially with Williams in 2006 before supplying as many as four teams in 2010. But it has not enjoyed a presence in F1 since 2013, when it worked solely with Marussia, which switched to Ferrari power for the start of the V6 hybrid era in 2014.

But Reisinger made clear that Cosworth did things “purely to generate income and cash that we can put into people and the business.”

“I’m thankful we’re unique in some regards that we have that situation,” he said. “It certainly makes my job a lot easier in my role, but if it would nurture passion in the employees and it could be a viable part of the business that enabled continued investment, then we would consider it.”

Reisinger said the company was “consulted with regularly” about future engine regulations, but that it was tricky to have proper input without being an existing participant.

“I think that only those that are directly involved are really going to have their input considered to the degree that it would have any input,” he said. “And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that.

“It’s their motorsport programme, it’s not ours. But that’s definitely the reality of it.

“So unless you’re, in my humble opinion, to be a direct participant and be directly involved then they will consult with us, hopefully because they respect our opinion and they want to consider the wider range of options.

“But it will typically boil down to decisions made by those that have a directly vested interest. And that’s not us.”