Ford and Red Bull in alliance for 2026? These two have previous, and it didn’t end well. OK, the colours, brand names and personalities were different when Jaguar Racing was launched at the turn of the millennium. But as it prepares to dive back into the Formula 1 cauldron Ford will be all too aware that the waking nightmare from last time cannot – and must not – be repeated.

Just two podiums to show after five indifferent seasons meant Jaguar gained nothing but notoriety from its only chapter in grand prix racing, by becoming one of the most high-profile failures in F1. The British-based team would also have been listed as the most profligate (a distinction falling to Toyota) were it not for parent company Ford reducing a healthy budget that had been squandered early on. This failure to understand F1’s unique needs was one of two major handicaps blighting the much-vaunted programme, the other being a revolving door of management that made Jaguar Racing look like an employment bureau rather than a slick F1 team.

‘The Cat is Back’: Johnny Herbert in the Jaguar R1 at the 2000 season opener Australian Grand Prix. His race lasted a lap