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Sergio Perez and Jimmy Fallon Go Karting to Promote Ford's Return to Formula 1

If you haven’t been living under a rock with no internet access, you’ve probably heard that Ford is picking its Formula 1 mantle back up after almost two decades and joining a highly successful team, Red Bull.
Sergio Perez on The Tonight Show 15 photos
Photo: YouTube / The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
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Well, that’s not strictly true, as despite the deal being signed, the partnership will not start until 2026. That's when the energy drink giant’s two F1 teams will start running Ford-branded engines. This venture will be based in the Red Bull powertrains facility, with the American carmaker claiming it will have a big role in the hybrid part of the engines.

While this deal kind of crept up on the fans, with no year-long talks making media headlines, it does not come as a shocking surprise. Those with a bit of F1 trivia knowledge are aware that the two teams are merely reuniting. It was the Ford-owned Jaguar team that Red Bull bought to set up its own project back in 2004.

The rule changes for the power units that are going to be used from 2026 onward also served to provide the perfect storm for Ford to join the sport. On top of F1’s U.S. expansion, a higher level of focus on electric components plays right into the automaker’s desire for growth in the EV market.

However, Ford was not willing to take on the massive challenge of a works team or becoming an engine supplier. This is where Red Bull comes in, as the team was interested in an engine partner willing to let it have control over the engine development while bolstering the financial and technical sides of the new RBPT branch.

Obviously, with such a high-profile partnership being started, promotional material has already begun popping up. Red Bull recently launched a campaign advertising its newly-established U.S. ties by giving the fans a chance to design the liveries that are going to be used in the three American Races.

But Red Bull is the king of marketing, creating a global lifestyle brand around itself, so things did not stop there. In the most recent airing of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon interviewed Jim Farley on the deal between Ford and the accomplished Formula 1 team.

To spice things up, the interview took place at an electric go-kart track, in a nod to Farley's passion for racing as well as the new partnership. The talk show host even got the chance to jump into a go-kart, unsuspecting of what was to come.

The show would not have been complete without Red Bull crashing the party in style. That’s when the team’s famous “lieutenant,” nicknamed the Mexican Minister of Defense, Sergio Perez, showed up dressed in a Red Bull and Ford-branded racing suit.

A not-so-fierce, yet humorous, track battle ensued between the Formula 1 driver and Jimmy Fallon, officiated by none other than Red Bull’s top dog Christian Horner. Following a clean race, Jimmy Fallon happily declared himself the electric go-kart champion of the world.

Considering both Ford and Red Bull have a history of witty and creative advertising, we’re as curious about their future marketing stunts as we are about their possible racing achievements together and Ford's electric future.

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About the author: Bogdan Bebeselea
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As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited.
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