‘We’re Really Going for It Now:’ Ford Family on the Return to Formula 1

After a 22-year hiatus, Ford is back in Formula 1 and just finished kicking off the 2026 season in Melbourne, Australia. This return marks a significant chapter for the Blue Oval as it continues to reignite its deep-rooted passion for racing and innovation. 

While at the track, we had the chance to sit down with Ford Motor Company Executive Chair Bill Ford, and his sons Ford Racing General Manager Will Ford, and Corporate Strategy Director Nick Ford. 

We had a great discussion around the strategic decisions behind Ford's return to the F1 grid, exploring how the move reinforces the company's racing heritage, drives future vehicle development, our drive to win and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What was the primary driving force behind Ford’s decision to return to Formula 1?
 

Bill Ford: It was part of a larger decision to reinforce the fact that we are a racing company. When we decided to double down on racing, it became natural that we would go to the pinnacle of the sport, which is Formula 1, just as we’re going back to Le Mans for the Hypercar. 

We’re really going for it now: off-road, on-road, really everywhere we can. It’s not just an ego thing.  We all love to race, we all love to win; it’s great for the brand. But importantly, the formation of Ford Racing is all about bringing this much closer to the customer as well. 

Nick, you’re heavily involved in corporate strategy, so you’ve got one eye not only on the next year or two, but much further out than that. How do you think racing can start to impact some of the vehicles our customers might see in the long-term future?

Nick Ford: Racing has gone from something that’s simply a department at the company to a true business and financial differentiator. It’s huge for us, and it’s continuing to grow. 

We're racing all over the world. And when Ford Racing shows up, it showcases our brand in ways that attract new audiences and potential partners that are highly relevant for other parts of the business. 

Will, from your side: What does success look like for Ford Racing? Not just the partnership on the track, but also off the track with Red Bull?

Will Ford: The F1 program and partnership is obviously the crown jewel of our partnership with Red Bull, but we’re just barely scratching the surface with everything we can do together between our two brands. 

To say that Red Bull is a “marketing genius” is an understatement. They have a unique approach to everything they do with extreme sports, stunts, [and] spectacles. Red Bull can show up for fans in remarkable ways by making these stunts and spectacles thrilling and exciting, and bring people into their brand through their unique approach to content. 

Success to me off the track means Ford Racing is the most exciting brand for the next generation of enthusiasts across our entire industry. And I think with this partnership we have with Red Bul l— broadly, beyond F1—and the platform we have with the F1 audience…the Blue Oval is showing up for its fans in new ways never thought possible.

We have an opportunity to make our brand exciting, cool, relevant, and extremely passionate to a much younger generation for decades to come.  

Bill, how do you think about what Formula 1 will do to inspire both Ford employees and those outside the company?
 

Bill Ford: Ford is all about passion — passion our employees have for our company, passion our dealers have for our company, and passion our customers have for our company. 

One of the things that people tell me when they join Ford is, “Wow, this feels different. It wasn’t like this at my old place. I didn’t have any of this love of the company—it was a place to work.” 

We need to be much more than just a place to work — and we are. Racing’s a big part of that, because if you can’t get excited about Ford racing, you’re probably in the wrong business.

You three represent an amazing legacy of Ford and obviously a bright and modern future. If Henry Ford could see you all now sitting here in Melbourne, how would he feel?
 

Will Ford:  I hope he would be proud. Our company was founded on a racetrack. We’re celebrating 125 years of racing this year — from when Henry Ford won the Sweepstakes and got the money to start Ford Motor Company. So we’ve been racing longer than Ford Motor Company has even existed. 

We grew up with stories of the GT40s in the 1960s and what a crazy, monumental effort that was. Those stories are proof that when we put our minds to something, there’s nothing Ford can’t accomplish. We went on to win Le Mans four years in a row. 

And then in our lifetimes — in 2016, going back on the 50th anniversary of that first Le Mans win with the GT program… he’ll kill me for saying it, but I might have seen some tears in [Dad’s] eyes for the first time in my entire life, and it was one of the coolest moments ever. 

So everything we’re doing — going back to Le Mans, racing at the pinnacle of off-road in Baja, being in Formula 1 — I think it’s a real opportunity to make a statement: When Ford decides to do something, we’re going all in, and we’re going in to win. That’s always been who we are.

Bill, final question to you. This is a remarkable legacy you’re overseeing from Henry through to today. What does all this mean to you personally and say about our future?

Bill Ford: Henry Ford was the ultimate tinkerer, and he would love the fact that we’re pushing the envelope technically here in Formula 1 with our powertrain development, I think he would get very excited about that.  

We’re a family company, all the way back to my great-grandfather. I’m only the fourth family member to be the head of the company and we’ve got the next generation working across the company. 

They’re going to carry this through into the future and build upon everything that has come before them. They’re very proud of our past. And they should be – we can be proud of our past, but we cannot live in it.  We’re all much more interested in where we’re headed in the future. And they should be — we can be proud of our past, but we can’t live in it. 

Jay Ward is director of global Ford Performance motorsport communications.