Much more than a sticker: why Ford is an added value for Red Bull

The Ford-Red Bull partnership goes far beyond a simple marketing operation, presenting itself as a 360° technical collaboration. The British team is already making use of the support of the blue oval house in various areas, seeing benefits from production to simulation, through energy management. The American giant constitutes a real added value for the Milton Keynes engine department, so much so that there is the intention to strengthen the partnership for the years to come. The consultancy work Starting from people, Ford has already allocated specialized figures to the Formula 1 programme, some of whom have even joined Red Bull Powertrains in Milton Keynes. It is not easy to identify the exact number, as some are awaiting visas, while others fly back and forth between the US and the UK. At present, four engineers from the blue oval house work in England, who will soon be diverted to the Hypercar project for the WEC. Added to these are the Ford employees who work remotely from the Detroit headquarters, whose contribution is scrupulously quantified for the purposes of the cost cap. “We track every hour of work. We have tables, so that if someone intervenes in the program, we count the working time”, assures Christian Hertrich, chief engineer of the powertrain area of ​​Ford Racing. Part of Ford’s technical support consists of real consultancy work, taking advantage of specific experiences accumulated on commercial cars. Hertrich explains: For example, we had a vibration problem with one of the components. At Ford we have road vehicles where the NVH (noise and vibration) aspect is incredibly critical. We turned to one of the engineers who deal with that and within an hour the problem was solved.” However, it is a very dynamic contribution, which varies according to the needs that arise gradually, helping Red Bull Powertrains in the installation of new infrastructures and sometimes saving the hiring of some figures. Laurent Mekies explains: “When we look for the best talents, before seeing what the market has to offer, we give Mark a call [Rushbrook, Ford Racing] and Jim [Farley, CEO Ford]. Suppose we are looking for a calibration engineer or one specializing in driveability: they send us the best in the world”. Battery management Another area of collaboration between Ford and Red Bull is the writing of the energy management software, a project that the blue oval house has already developed in the World Rally Championship, albeit in different ways. This is one of the main discriminants for performance with the new power units, as underlined by Hertrich: “You have to ask yourself: where do I want to exploit the energy I have and how can I recover it? These regulations revolve around how much energy can be regenerated and how quickly”. In addition to the supply and charging strategies, another fundamental element is the BMS, the battery control software. Its task is to regulate the operating parameters to optimize the state of charge and the temperature of the accumulator, on which in turn the efficiency and reliability of the system depend. In this field, Ford makes available the experience acquired on electric and hybrid road vehicles, although this time the priority is performance and not autonomy. Christian Hertrich says: “Mike Beeney, who takes care of the battery management system for Red Bull, comes from research and development, where he works on the BMS. Even if the use is different, the strategy for developing the software and the way in which we build its architecture are derived from production cars.” Photograph by Vladimir Rys The simulation Among the projects developed with the contribution of Ford, an engine simulation software with elements of artificial intelligence also stands out. The virtual model bears the signature of Kevin Ruybal and is capable of simulating the engine at a speed 1000 times higher than the real one. These are extraordinary numbers, especially considering that a single combustion process takes place within thousandths of a second. Red Bull thus finds itself in its hands with a precious tool for deciding on the “fine-tuning” of the engine, evaluating millions of different mappings and software adjustments, and then deciding on the best configuration for individual race weekends. The team has also decided to integrate the new model into the simulator on which the drivers run, so as to give them a better perception of the behavior and handling of the power unit. The benefits will be felt not only in the short term, but also in the long term, guiding the development of future versions of the engine. The production contribution The synergy between Ford and Red Bull also extends to production. Initially, the two parties had considered using the factories that the blue oval company has in Windsor, Canada, for the assembly of the power units of the newly created Powertrains division of the Milton Keynes team Pool Si therefore preferred to explore other opportunities, as Mekies says: “We started to discover that these guys have advanced production capabilities to produce key components of the power unit, at a quality level that we were not able to reach and with times that we didn’t even dream of. Ours is a world that revolves around delivery time: the idea you think of is only worth how quickly you can get it on track. With their capabilities in producing key elements, we have been able to develop at a much faster pace.” In detail, Ford brings to the table a precise 3D printing technique known as DMLS, or Direct Laser Metal Sintering. The process uses a precise laser beam to melt metal powders into a solid structure, so as to obtain components with complex shapes. To date, the blue oval company produces twelve components of the Red Bull power unit in Detroit: the turbo snail, three elements of the electric motor MGU-K, several parts of the exhaust ducts and some accessories. Future prospects Initially born as a pure marketing operation, the partnership between Red Bull and Ford has quickly transformed into a technical synergy that could strengthen further in the coming years. “This is my goal,” confirms Christian Hertrich. “There is development underway for 2027 and 2028. We are already starting to look at which projects to undertake. I have some staff waiting for a visa to go there [a Milton Keynes] based on what the development cycle will be for 2027 and 2028. We are constantly growing and changing.” Mekies echoes: “These guys have 200,000 people. […] If we fast forward two or three years, we will have a group of Ford engineers working in Milton Keynes in the factory, developing the power unit with us 360°. Ask us the same question again in six months. We will find ten new ways to work together.”