Additively manufactured parts testing underway for 2026 Ford and Red Bull F1 debut
February 27, 2025
Ford Motor Company reports it has already begun work testing for its first Formula 1 race in two decades. Reported to be utilising testing methods similar to those in the aerospace industry, the team is producing additively manufactured components for the racing team in preparation for the partnership’s 2026 on-track debut.
“It’s not things like nuts and bolts and easy stuff,” explained Christian Hertrich, Ford Performance Motorsports Powertrain Manager, who estimated Ford has already produced around 1,000 parts for the Red Bull team. “These are complex metal and polymer parts that get tested to extremes so they can withstand races that average 200 miles an hour.”
Keith Ferrell works on Ford’s manufacturing technology development team and leads the relationship between Ford and the Red Bull team related to Additive Manufacturing. He said this level of Additive Manufacturing allows Ford to build parts for racing that cannot be made by traditional methods, including cold plates for batteries and cooling plates for other parts. Ford is utilising its more than 100 years of manufacturing experience to produce components for the power unit, including both the internal combustion engine and hybrid system.
Every part is tested by the Additive Manufacturing team for critical measures such as mechanical strength, hardness and geometric compliance (3D scanned). The parts are also X-rayed and CT scanned by the Non-Destructive Evaluation team, which creates and examines digital models of components, before heading to the metrology or measurement lab at Ford’s Product Development Center.
Hertrich said that contributions are coming from employees outside of Additive Manufacturing, including those responsible for new vehicle models, thermal systems, and battery development.
“We’re pulling in all of these Ford teams with all of these areas of expertise to help in the programme,” he said. “It’s not just the motorsport group working on this. It’s amazing to see how many different areas of the company have already been involved.”
Ferrell said this increased testing is trickling down to other Ford teams for testing on the parts used in consumer models.
One example of how this technology transfer can be seen in the F-150 programme. The Non-Destructive Engineering team used advanced scanning techniques to quickly identify a glue overflow issue in headlamps that caused condensation and pricey repairs. This problem had eluded traditional inspection methods for months but was reportedly uncovered in just one day of testing.
Ford expects to expand these rigorous quality control processes to other models to improve vehicle reliability.
