In 2004, after five seasons and zero wins, Ford sold its Jaguar F1 team to Red Bull, reportedly for a symbolic $1. Red Bull hired designer Adrian Newey, and six years later the old Jaguar team won both world titles. Sebastian Vettel won four in a row (2010-13), then Max Verstappen won four straight (2021-24). And in 2026, Ford came back to F1 as Red Bull’s power-unit partner.
Vettel or Verstappen: who was better for the $1 team? Comment your pick.
Sources:
ABC News, Red Bull confirms takeover of Jaguar (2004): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-11-15/red-bull-confirms-takeover-of-jaguar/586426
Autosport, The complete 2010 Abu Dhabi GP review (2010): https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-complete-2010-abu-dhabi-gp-review-5081811/5081811/
Ford, Ford Returns To Formula 1; Strategic Partner To Oracle Red Bull Racing For 2026 Season And Beyond (2023): https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2023/ford-returns-to-formula-1–strategic-partner-to-oracle-red-bull
Photo credits:
– “Adrian Newey 2011 Sebastian Vettel in Yokohama (cropped)” by Morio, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adrian_Newey_2011_Sebastian_Vettel_in_Yokohama_(cropped).jpg, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0). Cropped and colour-matched.
– “Sebastian Vettel 2011 Sebastian Vettel in Yokohama” by Morio, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sebastian_Vettel_2011_Sebastian_Vettel_in_Yokohama.jpg, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0). Cropped and colour-matched.
– “Max Verstappen (37949014232)” by Steve from Austin, TX, USA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Max_Verstappen_(37949014232).jpg, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). Cropped and colour-matched.
– “Ford logo flat” by Ford Motor Company, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_logo_flat.svg, public domain.
– “Jaguar 2001 wordmark” by Jaguar Cars Ltd., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jaguar_2001_wordmark.svg, public domain.
– “Red Bull Racing – 2005 Logo” (unknown author), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Bull_Racing_-_2005_Logo.png, public domain.
#shorts #f1 #formula1 #redbullracing #redbull #ford #jaguar #verstappen #vettel #f1history
source
