Gravel Trap: Is Ford set for a F1 return in 2015?

By Sam // February 19, 2014

It often pays off to keep an eye on the rumour mill but you always have to take things with a healthy squeezed fingertip of sodium chloride. Sometimes you end up piecing together a very limited puzzle of seemingly unconnected paddock patter and end up with a very compelling story indeed. Now I will try to explain how one of these puzzles may have a fascinating and very real solution, most of what you read in this post is based on rumour, conjecture and getting an odd number from multiplying a deuce by a deuce. But here goes;
The power units: Ford, Toyota & VW
A couple of years ago when it became certain that Formula 1 was going to adopt a downsized turbocharged formula using advanced hybrid technology and a fuel flow Formula I heard that three manufacturers were interested in joining or re-joining the championship, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and Ford. The first three certainly seriously investigated the new rulebook,Volkswagen even dyno tested its engine at least at the mono cylinder level and Honda of course ended up developing a power unit for the 2014 season, but found new suitable partner team available until 2015. Toyota decided against taking the project very far at a relatively early stage leaving the Blue Oval the elephant in the room. For a month or so the rumours of a Ford return were everywhere then everything went very quiet, it was perhaps a case of wishful thinking, but perhaps there is no smoke without fire.
Ford after all does not have the capability or expertise in house to develop a modern racing engine, let alone a highly challenging 2014 F1 power unit. It seemed pie in the sky and I forgot about it.
The new team dimension
In late 2012 I heard very strong rumours of a new team joining F1, it would perhaps use a customer chassis and would certainly be powered by Honda. This rumour in a variety of forms would not go away. Honda I was told would not only just partner McLaren but it would also run a ‘B’ team with at least one Japanese driver. Others had heard the rumours too. But there was nothing concrete.
Finally some facts
Eventually the FIA revealed that it had opened up the F1 entry list and that three serious operations have attempted to enter, so it seemed that the new team rumour was indeed true, but the only potential entry to publicly reveal itself is one being put together by Gene Haas. This could be seen as son of USF1 (Haas was on the periphery of that failed bid) and perhaps something F1 really needs (a North American team). Haas as a name has been in F1 before, with the Ford powered Lola-Beatrice, but Carl and Gene are no relation. Compelling none the less.
However the Haas run cars in NASCAR are Chevrolets, GM has not been connected with F1 at any time. But could they switch to Ford? possibly but I doubt it, Haas’s partner in the team Tony Stewart owns a chain of Chevy dealers.
A second Honda team?
When Honda announced that it was sending Takuya Izawa to race in GP2 with a clear eye to placing him in F1 it reminded me of the Honda rumour, it is unlikely that this was related to Haas, but could an old name be revived in 2015? Everyone had kind of forgotten about Honda’s last ‘B’ team, Super Aguri, but it suddenly appeared on the FIA Formula E entry list.

So perhaps a new team, called Super Aguri, run by Hilmer and powered by Honda will be on the grid in 2015. Or perhaps they will take over the Force India team with its slightly odd financial situation. Hilmer after all is the Force India Junior team in GP2.
Meanwhile in Detroit.
Ford has been rather absent as a manufacturer in motorsport in recent years. Aside from NASCAR its major projects have been lead by private firms like M-Sport, but rumour has it that the company will not stay away much longer, indeed there were rumours that it was working on a F1 project. Ford has more wins in F1 than any other engine manufacturer, it has more points too. Its last foray into F1 was in 2004 with Jaguar (at the time a Ford sub-brand) it sold that team to an energy drinks company for the 2005 season. By 2009 Red Bull was the dominant force in F1, those in Detroit could not have helped but notice.
In reality Ford probably does not have the capability in house to do a 2014/2015 F1 engine but another company with a great history of working with Ford does, Cosworth.
The English company has recently undergone something of a restructure with the former Business Development manager of Williams Advanced Engineering Kirsty Andrew and the former Corvette Racing boss Steve Weselowski joining the company in the last few months. The latter gives the company a direct link to the big three automakers in Detroit whilst the former has re-focussed the whole company on a “motorsport & automotive only” mission.
Cosworth has a 2014 F1 power unit design ready for manufacture.
So Ford want to get back into F1, Cosworth has the technology and a production ready design. Let not forget that pretty much every single Ford engine used in F1 has been designed and built by Cosworth. Cosworth has admitted that its development on the original I4 F1 engine has been adopted by a manufacturer for use in an undisclosed high performance road car project, whilst the V6 is ready for entry into F1 once the firm gains the required support it needs.

Double trouble
So those Honda rumours are compelling, as are those with Ford and Cosworth, but the FIA only opened one grid slot right? well perhaps not. Formula 1 actually has two spare slots on the grid, the one that USF1 was supposed to fill never got filled, and since then HRT collapsed, leaving two empty slots on the grid. I hear from a number of sources that 2015 may well see two new teams on the grid, one powered by Ford the other by Honda.
It does all make sense, Ford and Honda both need to improve their sporting credentials, and both need to develop new ranges of hybrid cars. Formula 1 also reaches developing markets that only F1 reaches.
But then again, maybe I did 2+2 and equalled six, which is of course divisible by two.