Six factory teams are due to be on the F1 2026 grid.
The F1 2026 season is going to feature a huge technical overhaul, with the cars set to look and sound different due to enormous regulation changes.
Brand new power units that are coming to the sport, with a greater focus on battery power and a switch to fully sustainable fuels on the horizon. New entrants have already confirmed their plans to come in, meaning Formula 1 is in a position whereby the grid will feature more factory teams than customer constructors come 2026. Here is a look at the suppliers and who is currently due to power which team…
Who are the power unit suppliers from the F1 2026 season?
Red Bull Ford Powertrains
Having carried on using Honda’s intellectual property from 2022 to 2025 under the joint Red Bull Powertrains moniker, F1 2026 will see Red Bull create their very first engine from scratch.
Automotive giants Ford confirmed in April 2023 that they have joined the project as technical partners, with Red Bull Powertrains having already begun work on site at Milton Keynes.
Ford’s return to Formula 1 comes more than two decades after their last entry, with the 2026 engine formula aligning with their goals.
Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO said when the partnership was announced: “Ford’s return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing is all about where we are going as a company– increasingly electric, software-defined, modern vehicles and experiences.”
Mercedes
Mercedes have their High Performance Powertrains [HPP] department based at Brixworth in the United Kingdom, and have been producing Formula 1 power units there since 1994 after its takeover of Ilmor.
Having had its own team to power since Mercedes returned to the grid in 2010, the Mercedes power units of the turbo hybrid era proved both fast and reliable, which led to 40 per cent of the grid being Mercedes powered in the early 2020s prior to this change.
Ferrari
As Formula 1’s longest serving and most storied team, to drive for Ferrari also means having one of their own engines in the back of the car.
The success of Ferrari power has been mixed throughout the history of the sport, but the team has often had its fair share of customer outfits over time.
Renault
Having rebranded the team’s name to Alpine in 2021 to reflect the brand’s sporting division, Renault have only had themselves as a reference point for their power unit operation for some time, with customer teams having ebbed away over the years.
Barring a fresh customer deal for F1 2026, Renault will be powering themselves through Alpine for the years to come.
Honda
After opting to step away from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, Honda confirmed they would be returning in 2026 when the sport’s new power unit regulations would take effect.
Having stuttered in the mid-2010s with McLaren in the beginning of their previous stint, they eventually rose to enormous success with Red Bull.
Aston Martin have agreed an exclusive factory power unit deal with the Japanese marque from the F1 2026 season.
Audi
Audi will be arriving on the Formula 1 grid for the very first time in the 2026 season after agreeing a majority takeover of the stalwart Sauber team in October 2022, before upgrading that to what will become a full takeover come 2026.
Audi’s arrival will also mean a Volkswagen-owned brand will appear on the grid when the 2026 season comes around, with Nico Hulkenberg having already been signed up to represent the team in their first season.
More on big changes coming in the F1 2026 season:
Are any other manufacturers aiming to get onto the F1 2026 grid?
General Motors (Cadillac)
The bid of Andretti Global to reach Formula 1 received FIA approval in 2023, but talks progressed to FOM, whereby their own assessments would take place as to whether an 11th team could join the grid.
As a part of the Andretti bid, General Motors confirmed they would be partnering up with them to launch a fully all-American team, creating a power unit through its Cadillac brand.
However, FOM rejected Andretti-Cadillac’s initial plans to join the grid, but Andretti maintain their work ‘continues at pace’ to try and join the grid – having opened up a Silverstone base in April 2024 to expand their staffing numbers ahead of a proposed entry.
