Were Hyundai and Ford also contenders for partnership with Red Bull?

It is conceivable that Red Bull Racing was open to these two brands. After all, Max Verstappen's team had long been in talks to partner with another newcomer (Porsche) from 2026. Although there is now still no firm commitment for 2026, it does seem that Honda is a major contender. Indeed, the two brands will re-establish ties from the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix and continue to work together until 2025.

Many candidates for partnership with Red Bull

To Auto Motor und Sport Singapore, Marko revealed that there were many candidates for a possible partnership with Red Bull. AMuS makes the link to Hyundai and Ford who may also be looking for a place on the F1 grid. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has reportedly already had a meeting with Hyundai. The Korean car brand is said to have been considering a debut in F1 for some time.

The medium lists Ford and BMW as the other two brands. More has come out from BMW in recent weeks, but the German car brand would see a possible return to F1 as a long-term plan. Ford might be more serious, as Formula 1's growing popularity in the United States has not gone unnoticed at Ford headquarters in Detroit. That Marko indicated that there were many candidates makes it plausible that at least one of these brands was among them.