Ever since the American-based media and entertainment corporation Liberty Media bought F1’s commercial rights holder FOM in 2017, the growing American influence in the sport and its culture has been impossible to ignore.
From just a single grand prix in the United States in 2017 to three in 2024, logos of several Fortune 500 companies suddenly appearing on the bodywork and overalls of teams up and down the grid and the most lucrative US TV rights renewal deals FOM has ever struck, F1 is enjoying unparalleled popularity among American companies as well as American race fans.
For 2026, the advent of a new era for the sport with its revised V6 turbo power units will bring with it an entirely new team in Cadillac, the evolution of the original Andretti’s entry granted the blessing of the FIA last year.
This is the first time that Detroit motoring giant General Motors (GM) has stepped into the world championship fight to take on the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. But there will be another entity involved that GM knows all too well – their longest and fiercest rivals: Ford.
Tying up with Red Bull to support the current world champions’ 2026 powertrain efforts, Ford’s return to F1 is the latest chapter in their rich history in the sport. Whether its through their championship-winning success as an engine supplier in the Cosworth era or bringing the Jaguar name to the grand prix grid in 2000 with the Milton Keynes factory which now bears the Red Bull name, Ford is no stranger to the challenges of Formula 1.
But 2026 will be the first time these two titans of the American motor industry will compete against each other at the highest level.
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The rivalry between GM and Ford was already active when the NASCAR was in its infancy in the post-war years. In the days before the speedway was built, Ford stock cars raced side-by-side down Daytona Beach against Cadillacs, Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles.
As NASCAR developed and professionalised over the decades, the two companies dominated the Grand National series into its transformation into the Cup era. In the 61 seasons between 1955 and 2015, Ford and GM – through their Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile brands – claimed the championship a total of 58 times between them.
While the loyalties of NASCAR’s passionate fans lay more with individual drivers than manufacturers,…
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