F1 News

cooperation between red bull and ford effective immediately

Collaboration a reality: Ford and Red Bull Racing join forces with immediate effect

13 March at 16:00
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  • Ludo van Denderen

GPblog recently reported that rumours about the partnership between Ford and Red Bull Racing being cancelled were nonsense. Ford has immediately become the title sponsor of Red Bull Racing's F1 Academy team, which is tangible proof of that. The car that Emely de Heus drives in the women's championship is now officially called the Red Bull Ford car.

The announcement had been in the air for some time, but now it is official. Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports, said: "Ford Performance is committed to working with the FIA and race promoters to find ways to integrate more female talent into all levels of motorsport, both on and off the track, and this is a great opportunity to extend that work by partnering with the best in F1 Academy."

Ford previously remarked about the handling of Horner's case

Red Bull Racing's press release did not include a quote from team boss Christian Horner. The Brit was cleared of the allegations after an internal investigation, and the woman who complained has since been suspended.

Recently, an internal letter from Ford towards Red Bull GmbH was leaked, in which the carmaker complained about the lack of transparency of the investigation. The press release on Wednesday did include a quote from Sarah Harrington, the Red Bull Academy Programme Manager. She stated, "Welcoming Ford to the Red Bull Academy Programme is a landmark moment for us. Their investment represents so much more than just a title partnership, it helps to further extend Red Bull’s long legacy of developing talent and breaking down the barriers in motorsport."