Formula 1 is about to hit millions of American living rooms via Apple TV. It is a massive cultural moment, and for the first time in over 20 years, Ford is back on the grid with Oracle Red Bull Racing.
But there’s an opportunity to do more than cross the finish line first. We’re using this broadcast and Ford Racing to tell a different kind of tech story — one of dirt, grit, and human focus.
We’re seizing this moment to expand upon our global campaign — called "Ready Set Ford" — by returning to the philosophy Henry Ford established 125 years ago: using racing to prove our ideas are better.
Watch our 30-second spot here:
Today, that philosophy has evolved into a simple truth: True capability is proven in the extremes. And when we say "extremes," we don't just mean the F1 circuit. We mean racing, we mean off-road, and we mean the hard work our customers do every day.
Disrupting the Ad Break
We knew that standard commercials wouldn't cut it for the F1 audience. So, we are utilizing Apple TV’s sequential ad capabilities to air a "micro-docuseries" throughout the race weekend.
Instead of interrupting the broadcast, we are treating the ad breaks like stories. From Friday practice through the Sunday Grand Prix, viewers will watch a progressing narrative. We are using the screen to draw a direct line between the high-speed drama of F1 and the engineering reality of the vehicles that pull up to job sites and trailheads across America.
No Actors, Just Engineers
The most important part of this campaign is who you see on screen. There are no actors. We are putting the actual faces of Ford Racing front and center because they are the ones translating race data into road reality.
You will meet Christian Hertrich, our F1 Powertrain lead, and many of the amazing engineers connecting our racing prowess back to our consumer vehicles. We are featuring the people who co-develop the 2026 power unit, like Thomas Pfeiffer, Matt West, Juan Cortes, and Brian Ackerman.
On the off-road side, you will see the engineers who are currently in the desert, testing suspension setups in the dirt. You’ll meet Kristen Goslawski, Timothy Gutenschwager, Brian Novak, Neil MacFarland, and Jatin Goyal. These are the people obsessing over every weld and every line of code.
Watch the F1 Engineering Spot:
Watch the Baja Engineering Spot:
Watch the Dakar Engineering Stories Spot:
From Track to the Road and Off-Road
Why are we doing this? Because the R&D we test in these harsh environments builds better vehicles for everyone.
We are drawing a direct line between our race vehicles and the tech inside the F-150 Raptor, the Bronco Raptor, and even our future electric trucks.
For example, former F1 aerodynamicists are currently helping us make our new electric truck more than 15% more aerodynamic than any other pickup. That racing tech translates directly into longer range and lower costs for the customer who uses that truck for work.
Whether it is the suspension in a Raptor or the aerodynamic efficiency of our future UEV electric truck, we are proving that the capability we forge in the extremes of racing delivers a better vehicle for the work and recreation you do today.
How to Watch
Viewers can watch the action on Apple TV in the U.S., on Sky Sports in the UK, and via F1TV streaming worldwide.
Michael Cope is senior director of Ford Consumer Marketing.
