Ford, agreement with the Monza racetrack: will provide Safety Cars and intervention vehicles, including electric and plug-in

There is a red thread – or perhaps we should say blue – that connects the history of motorsport to the future of mobility. Today, among the curbs of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, that thread has become a strong knot. We were guests at the presentation event of the new exclusive partnership between Ford and the Monza circuit, and the impression is that this is not the "usual" sponsorship agreement, but a strategic piece in a much larger mosaic.

The Return of the "Giant"

2026 is the date circled in red on every enthusiast's calendar, but for Ford, it is the year of truth. The return to Formula 1 alongside Red Bull Powertrains is not just a sporting challenge: it is the ultimate laboratory. As highlighted by Marco Buraglio, CEO of Ford Italy, during the meeting, the track serves to "test at the highest levels new technologies to then propose on our consumer offering." It is the classic technology transfer, which today, however, is forcefully shifting towards electrification and software efficiency.

A Fleet Between Adrenaline and Sustainability

What struck us while looking at the fleet of cars ready to serve the Autodrome is the coexistence of two souls. On one side, pure emotion, represented by the Mustang GT Dark Horse (the official Safety Car) and the Mustang GT. On the other, the concreteness of electric vehicles. Seeing the Mustang Mach-E GT in the role of Medical Car is not just an aesthetic fact; it is a signal of how zero-emission performance is now mature for critical roles. But the real logistical challenge of a giant like Monza is won with support vehicles. Ford has made available a cross-sectional fleet that is a true catalog of modern mobility: from the new Explorer to the Capri, through the Puma Gen-E and electric vans like the E-Tourneo Custom and the E-Tourneo Courier. Not to mention the plug-in hybrid Kuga and Ranger PHEV, essential for the heavy logistics of the paddocks. The pick-ups outfitted as fire-fighting vehicles are also spectacular.

An Unbroken Dialogue

There is a technological romanticism in this union. Monza has seen the Ford GT40s dominate endurance races and the Ford-Cosworth DFV engines write the history of F1. Today, that dialogue is reopening under a different light. Giuseppe Redaelli, President of SIAS, defined it as a meeting between two realities born in the pioneering era of the car, which today find themselves exploring a new frontier. What Ford is doing in Monza is an intelligent branding operation but also one of substance. Occupying the "Temple of Speed" with a fleet that speaks for 70% electrification is a clear message to the more conservative public: innovation does not take away from passion, it evolves it.

Motorsport remains the brightest showcase, but it is in the versatility of vehicles like the Explorer or the E-Tourneo that the game of daily mobility is played. Ford celebrates 125 years of history in racing looking ahead, and Monza is the perfect stage to demonstrate that, even in the era of the electron, speed still has its temple.

The Blue Oval Along the Track

The Ford brand will not only be printed on the liveries we previewed (with the Mach-E already equipped with flashing lights), but also along the track that we all know well. You can see in the photos below, the sponsorship right after a underpass, on the barriers, and finally, a banner on a crossing bridge. All visible at various events that will be held on the circuit, except for Formula 1, which has its asset already planned. Even the Safety Car and Medical Car, during the F1 race, will be the official ones, but Ford vehicles will nonetheless support all normal logistical activities.