'Ford returns': Formula 1 confirmed the return of the American giant

Half an hour before

announced the design of its car for the 2023 season in New York,

made official a rumor that had grown in recent days:

.

"Ford returns"

, says the photo that was uploaded to the official F1 accounts on social networks.

Although Red Bull is expected to give more information about who will be its engine supplier from 2026, on the F1 website they remarked that the return will be made thanks "to the new regulations".

"

, including increased electric power and 100% sustainable fuels, will see Ford reappear on the grid starting with the campaign 2026," Liberty Media remarked.

Stefano Domenicali, F1 President and CEO, was delighted: "

and we're excited to see them join the amazing automotive partners who are already in Formula 1".

A little history of Ford in F1

Henry Ford II wanted to buy the empire built by Enzo Ferrari and, since he couldn't, he declared war on the Scuderia.

Part of that battle is portrayed in the film "Against the Impossible", which recalls Ford's victory over Ferrari in the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. A few weeks before that event, in Monaco, Bruce McLaren debuted the first McLaren in F1 powered by Ford.

Although it

, Ford has a rich history built between the 1960s and 2004 in which it sold Jaguar to Red Bull and never returned.

Perhaps for this reason, Mark Rushbrook, the global director of the Ovalo brand, was encouraged to say in 2018 "never say never" when asked about a return to the category in which he was champion for the first time in 1968 motoring a Lotus.

Five years later, Ford marked a milestone in F1, because in addition to powering the Lotus that won the Constructors' World Championship, its V8 engine was in the other four teams that made up that top 5 in 1973, in addition to three that completed the ten best, behind Ferrari (6th) and BRM (7th).

He did it in association with Cosworth, a union that was a success, because these powerful engines accumulated more than 150 victories and 22 titles, between constructors and pilots.

However, to achieve it, the action of Colin Chapman was essential.

The Lotus Cars founder, F1 team principal and one of the greatest engineers ever wanted a winning engine and convinced Ford to give Cosworth co-founder and owner Keith Duckworth a shot at finance and build an engine that would dominate the era.

From the convergence of Ford and Cosworth came the DFV, or double four-valve, that is, two 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engines arranged in a V at a 90° angle.

Although it was not the most powerful engine at the time, because Ferrari had a V12 with more horsepower, the advantage was its weight, among other virtues of its design, such as being bolted to the monocoque behind the driver, without being supported by a tubular chassis, for example.

Winner in Monaco, Le Mans and, in a turbocharged variant, of the Indianapolis 500, the DFV -with its evolutions and adaptations, like the DFY with which it finished its career in 1985- reigned in F1 for almost two decades.

In 1975, for example, 12 of the 13 World Cup teams (Brabham, McLaren, Hesketh, Tyrrell, Shadow, Lotus, March, Williams, Parnelli, Hill, Penske and Ensign) had this V8 engine.

Of course, they all succumbed to the overwhelming pace of Niki Lauda and his Ferrari 312T.

Although James Hunt won the title in a McLaren Ford in 1976 and Mario Andretti did the same in a Lotus Ford in 1978, the advantage was only maintained until the early 1980s, when Alan Jones (Williams), Nelson Piquet (Brabham) and Keke Rosberg (Williams) were the last champions with cars powered by the Americans.

The advent of turbochargers dethroned those Ford-Cosworth engines and, progressively, the V8s gradually disappeared.

While Ford left F1 in the aforementioned 2004 championship, Cosworth held out until 2013 with the Marussia team.

look also

Stories on wheels: about to partner, the past that unites Ford and Red Bull in Formula 1

Formula 1: rumors of Ford joining a giant