M-Sport hopes Ford’s Red Bull F1 partnership can strengthen WRC team

Last month Ford announced a plan to expand its motorsport commitments by returning to F1 as an engine supplier in conjunction with current world champions Red Bull, coinciding with the launch of F1’s new engine rules.

The American brand confirmed that its F1 expansion would not affect its current motorsport programmes, including its long-standing relationship with the WRC through British squad M-Sport.

Ford is one of three brands to commit to WRC’s Rally1 regulations, introduced last year, which has spawned the new Puma Rally1 car, developed by M-Sport and Ford Performance in the US.

M-Sport is also currently backed by Red Bull with the energy drinks brand featuring prominently on the Pumas of Ott Tanak and Pierre-Louis Loubet, who have this year also become Red Bull athletes.

Reflecting on Ford’s new venture into F1, Millener believes the tie-up could be beneficial for M-Sport in the future.

“Ford are entering into F1 which is fantastic and that is 2026, so that is a fair way away from now,” Millener told Motorsport.com.

“I hope it can strengthen our partnership. We have a partnership with Red Bull at the moment and Ford have a bigger partnership with Red Bull in F1 moving forward, so let’s hope that continues to help us grow as well.

“From my side, I think it is great for Ford to be entering the biggest discipline in motorsport and one of the biggest sports globally.

“Rally is a very different set of variables and KPIs for the brand, it is about taking their road cars and competing in the most challenging of circumstances and that won’t change.

“F1 is not going to replicate what we do. They are two very different projects. I hope our relationship continues for years to come.”

M-Sport’s current relationships with both Ford and Red Bull could provide the potential for crossovers with the Red Bull F1 team should they remain in place from 2026 onwards.

This is an area Millener is keen to explore following the team’s appearance at the Red Bull F1 team’s ‘Home run’ event in Milton Keynes last year, where nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb demonstrated the Puma.

Likewise, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen drove a rally car last year when he tested his father Jos Verstappen’s Citroen C3 Rally2 car ahead of the latter’s Belgian Rally Championship and WRC appearances.

“It would be great to be involved…