Notoriety and sustainability have lured Ford back into Formula 1.

The storied Michigan-based carmaker will team with Red Bull starting in 2026, when new engine regulations kick in.

• Ford and Red Bull Powertrains will collaborate to build F1 power units for the Red Bull Racing and Alpha Tauri teams, both owned by Red Bull.
• The automaker said it “will provide expertise in areas including battery cell and electric motor technology as well as power unit control software and analytics.”
• F1 president Stefano Domenicali cited F1’s “half a billion fans around the world” and “commitment to net-zero carbon by 2030” as key reasons for Ford’s entry.

Red Bull was previously in talks on a similar deal with Porsche, but those broke down over Red Bull’s reticence to sell half of its Powertrains company. Red Bull currently works with Honda in a deal that runs through the 2025 season.

Ford last raced in F1 in 2004. The company, which won 10 constructors’ championships and 13 drivers’ championships, will join the reigning F1 champions.

Coming to America

Ford’s entry is the latest move by an American brand into F1. Moneygram inked a title sponsorship with Haas beginning this year — Haas principal Guenther Steiner told Front Office Sports that the team specifically targeted American companies.

Williams is adding American driver Logan Sargeant in the coming season and is rumored to be eyeing sponsorships with American companies, including Gulf.

As Elon Musk wraps up a bumpy first 100 days at Twitter, his platform is making itself a key player in Super Bowl advertising, focusing on big companies and new ad products.

PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch InBev — previously two major Super Bowl sponsors — have reportedly struck advertising deals with Twitter for the Big Game, which is historically the social media platform’s highest-grossing advertising event of the year.

• PepsiCo has committed to spending more than $3 million on Twitter takeover ads on Feb. 12, the day of the Super Bowl, according to The Information.
• Anheuser-Busch InBev has reportedly committed to spending $2.4 million on takeover ads, including at least four in the weeks before the Super Bowl.

Both companies have extra money to allocate.

PepsiCo will not be the Super Bowl halftime show’s title sponsor for the first time since it struck a deal in 2012, reportedly worth more than $2 billion. Its spot was filled by Apple.

Anheuser-Busch InBev will not be the exclusive alcohol advertiser for the game for the first time since 1989.

The deals come after mass layoffs and fleeing advertisers following Musk’s arrival.

Waning Wallets

Companies may be heavily investing in the Super Bowl, but so are fans.

As of Friday, the lowest price for a ticket on SI Tickets was $5,934, with the highest at $33,789. As of Wednesday, the average price was more than $10,900.

As Bally Sports struggles with financial difficulties, Major League Baseball is exploring all of its media options — including taking back local TV rights to 14 teams. 

At present, MLB would prefer to keep the status quo with Bally, which operates 19 regional sports networks across the U.S. But as Bally parent Diamond Sports — a unit of Sinclair Broadcast Group — spirals toward bankruptcy, time is running out, and MLB executives are preparing contingency plans.

• “Our strong preference would be for the RSNs to be able to fulfill the agreements they signed with the Clubs.  However … fans will be able to continue watching their favorite teams in their local market,” Noah Garden, MLB chief revenue officer, told Front Office Sports. 
• Diamond’s business model is built around local MLB, NBA, and NHL rights. 
• A bankruptcy could potentially blow up existing agreements and spark multiple lawsuits. 

Bally RSNs could halt millions of dollars in rights payments to MLB teams, said sources. Conversely, those teams could use bankruptcy to wriggle out of their Bally deals and resell media rights to new partners.

New Opportunities

In recent years, MLB has forged lucrative new deals with giant streamers such as Apple and Amazon. Tech-savvy MLB could also help teams forge their own direct-to-consumer streaming options.

Direct-to-consumer would also give MLB an opportunity to address game blackouts, one of the chief complaints of baseball viewers.