Red Bull wants to pick up where they left off with their previous campaign as the Austrian side is making good progress towards their predetermined goals. The team doesn’t appear to have been affected by the wind tunnel limits in addition to their regular assignments. In fact, if we look closely, the Milton Keynes side appears at ease. Red Bull’s Taskmaster Helmut Marko was seen beaming while providing updates on their 2023 car, RB-19. Noting the team’s progress and the new association with Ford, he claims that things have come full circle for the team.

At Silverstone, the champions performed a low-key inspection drive with the 2023 car on February 10th. Max Verstappen shared his positive impression of the RB19 shortly after the drive. The Dutchman doesn’t appear to be the only one on the team who is pleased with the growth that has transpired over the winters, as Helmut Marko also couldn’t stop grinning at the accomplishments the team made. While conversing with the F1 insider, Helmut Marko said, “Everything is going smoothly with the preparations.” However, apart from the car’s unveiling, at the Red Bull car launch event, the announcement of partnership between the Milton Keynes side and Ford was also made.

The collaboration has caused an upsurge of joy as Ford and Red Bull Powertrains will work together to provide powertrains starting in 2026. Marko expressed his joy at an incredible partnership. He said, “It’s a good deal with Ford. I was in Detroit for it, the talks were good and harmonious from the start. We came to a conclusion quite quickly. For me, this has come full circle.”

In 2004, Red Bull bought the Jaguar Formula One team from Ford, highlighting their ascent into the top tier motorsports. Adding further, the 79-year-old said, “Ford Europe’s headquarters was there. It was the beginning of our success story. Therefore, you can really say, the circle is complete,”

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Since Red Bull is a renowned team, it is obvious that there may have been other applications for the business to shake hands with Christian Horner and Co. But they went ahead with the American giants.

What led Christian Horner and Co to accept Ford’s offer?

After Red Bull ended talks with Porsche, the team turned to Ford, one of the biggest names in American motoring. It was announced at the Red Bull 2023 car unveil that Ford and Red Bull will work together on powertrains in 2026. For the unknowns, Ford aren’t new to F1, the automaker has been involved in the sport and has won numerous championships.

And when Formula 1.com quizzed Horner about the alliance, the Red Bull team boss responded logically. He said, “This is a purely commercial and technical deal, so there is no exchange of any shares or participation within the business. It’s a very straightforward agreement where we will have the ability to share and have access to R&D, particularly on the EV side and self-technology, software development and so on.”

“And then on the commercial side with Ford being so prevalent in the US, as a commercial partner it enables us to help achieve even more penetration in that market.”

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Due to the ominous wind tunnel constraints, Red Bull will need to proceed with extreme caution in 2023. As things stand, the majority of the regulations will not change much until 2026, and the Austrian team will surely want their drivers to maintain the ‘Red Bull Era.’