Ford would rather see Max Verstappen compete in one of its own cars than the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo he will drive at this weekend's Nürburgring 24 Hours, according to the manufacturer's global racing director, Mark Rushbrook.
The four-time F1 drivers' champion is set to make his 24-hour debut at the Nordschleife with Winward Racing, but the American marque's preference would be for the 28-year-old to be behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT3
"We prefer our Ford drivers to stay in Ford," Rushbrook told reporters at the recent WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. "We understand why he did that. We love his passion."
Verstappen's choice of Mercedes machinery comes despite his Red Bull F1 team producing a power unit in partnership with Ford from this season, creating an unusual situation where the Dutchman represents different manufacturers across racing disciplines — although this was the case last year when he raced a Ferrari GT3 car.
According to Sportscar365, there were considerable efforts to get the 71-time grand prix winner into a Mustang GT3 EVO for both the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and his Verstappen Racing team's GT World Challenge Europe campaign.
"We love what he does for us in Formula 1. We love who he is as a person. We love that he's a racer, whether it's sim racing or that, it only makes him better," Rushbrook explained.
The Ford executive emphasised that whilst Verstappen's current programme suits his needs, the American manufacturer remains keen to see him compete in Ford machinery across other racing categories.
"That's the right program for him right now. But obviously we'd love to see him in a Ford in the sports car world," Rushbrook said.
Discussions between Ford and Verstappen regarding potential sports car opportunities date back over three years, with both parties seeking the right alignment of schedules and programmes for a Hypercar tilt, which Ford will start racing in next year.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding for a special episode, as they are joined by Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds! The trio discuss the rapidly closing performance difference between FE and F1, with Dodds opening up on where he sees the series going.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!