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Ford made big news last week when the company announced it would be returning to Formula 1 beginning in 2026 through a strategic partnership. Despite not racing in the renowned series in nearly 20 years, Ford remains the third most successful engine manufacturer in series history. The company racked up 174 grand prix victories, as success came early – and often – during Ford’s first go-round in the series.
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It all began in the fall of 1965 when Ford contracted Cosworth Engineering to design and develop two new race engines, one of which would become the most successful Formula 1 Grand Prix engine of all time. The Ford Cosworth DFV engine was unveiled in April 1967, before its debut two months later in a Lotus Ford victory at the Dutch Grand Prix by driver Jim Clark.
After winning four races in its debut season, the Ford DFV would power 26 victories through its first three campaigns. In 1968, Lotus lost exclusivity to the Ford engine, but went on to claim both the driver’s championship (Graham Hill) and manufacturer’s championship (Lotus Ford). Ford-engined cars won 11 of 12 races that season and had a perfect 11-win season in 1969 as Ford engines powered the Lotus, McLaren, Matra and Brabham teams as well as a number of smaller private teams.
Ford and the DFV engine would continue to dominate in the 1970s, winning at least 10 grands prix each season – including a perfect 15-event season in 1973. The company would claim six constructor’s titles during the decade, as well as seven driver’s titles, extending its reign over both championships, which began in the late-1960s. The engine was so good, in fact, modified versions of it were also successful at Le Mans as well as in CART/Indycar racing in North America.
In total, the DFV engine powered 155 Formula 1 wins in 16 years, including driver’s and manufacturer’s championships in 1980 and ‘81 (and another driver’s title in 1982), before being replaced in 1983. Legendary drivers, including Clark, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Hill, James Hunt, Alan Jones and Jackie Stewart drove DFV-powered cars to World Championships.
Cosworth went on to develop more engines for Ford, including the DFV’s successor and a 3.5-litre Zetec-R V8, used by Benetton-Ford in 1994, when Michael Schumacher won half of the season’s 16 races en route to the first of multiple driver’s championships in his career.
The last Formula 1 victory for a Ford-engined car came in 2003, when Giancarlo Fisichella won the Brazilian Grand Prix in his Jordan Ford. The company left the series a year later with the sale of the Jaguar team following the 2004 season. In total, Ford captured 10 constructor’s championships and 13 driver’s championships before bowing out of Formula 1 following the 2004 season. Today, Ford is partnering with Red Bull Powertrains to co-develop the next-gen hybrid power unit that will supply engines to two Formula 1 teams from 2026 to at least 2030.
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