Ford is back on the top step in Formula 1. Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia's Sepang circuit on Oct. 4, giving Red Bull Ford Powertrains its first victory in only its 16th race and putting the Ford name on top of an F1 podium for the first time since 2003. Ford counts it as the 177th F1 win for an engine associated with the company.
It took some doing. Rain delayed the start by 40 minutes, and the first formation procedure exposed a software problem that left several cars without power at very low speeds, forcing the FIA to issue an emergency software release before a new start. Verstappen, on pole, made a poor launch and fell behind both Mercedes drivers. He passed George Russell on lap 6, took the lead from Kimi Antonelli at the lap 13 restart and, after a late Safety Car erased his lead, beat Antonelli by 2.307 seconds. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was third.
The win was Verstappen's first of 2026 and the 72nd of his career, all with Red Bull, matching Michael Schumacher's victory total with Ferrari.
"To win our first race in our first year with our own power unit is pretty impressive." — Max Verstappen, after the race, to Sky Sports
What Ford brings to the engine
The DM01 power unit is designed and built by Red Bull Ford Powertrains at the Red Bull Technology Campus in Milton Keynes, England. Ford says it works with the team on high-voltage propulsion systems, manufactures components for the combustion engine, energy recovery system and turbocharger, and collaborates on electronics, software and control systems. The partnership was announced Feb. 3, 2023, with Ford adding battery cell and electric motor expertise and the deal running through at least 2030.
All four cars using the engine finished in the top 10. Isack Hadjar was fifth in the second Red Bull, and Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were seventh and 10th. The partnership's first podium came in May, when Verstappen finished third at the Canadian Grand Prix.
"As Red Bull Ford Powertrains celebrate powering this win for Oracle Red Bull Racing, we will do so by marking this as the first win for the Red Bull Ford Powertrains power unit and the 177th win for an engine associated with Ford." — Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Racing
Why the Bahrain Grand Prix ran in Malaysia
Formula 1 announced in July that the Bahrain round would move to Sepang for Oct. 2-4, keeping its slot between Azerbaijan and Singapore. The sport said the agreement among F1, the FIA and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia preserved a race that otherwise could not have taken place, with the safety of teams, officials, volunteers and fans central to the decision. Bahrain's crown prince cited "ongoing regional challenges." The event ran as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and was F1's first visit to Sepang in nine years; the circuit hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 to 2017.
What it means for Ford, and for GM
Ford says the program gives it a demanding place to test technology and carry lessons into future road cars, the same argument it makes for its Dakar Rally effort. This season's cars use new V6 turbo hybrid power units, and Red Bull now builds its own at its UK base rather than buying engines from another manufacturer.
General Motors has a stake in the sport too. Its Cadillac team, which uses Ferrari power units, was also in the race; Valtteri Bottas went off in the Cadillac on lap 9, bringing out the first Safety Car.
The championship moves straight to Singapore this weekend. Antonelli leads Russell by 84 points, 320 to 236, after Russell retired in Malaysia with a suspected power-unit problem. Red Bull's 35 points at Sepang left it 18 behind McLaren for third in the constructors' standings.
