Ford in talks with Max Verstappen about WEC Hypercar opportunities

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Ford will make its Hypercar debut in the World Endurance Championship next year, and the company's racing chief Mark Rushbrook would love to see Max Verstappen race the car one day.

Ford has returned to Formula 1 this year thanks to its partnership with Red Bull Racing. The two parties have joined forces for the development and production of power units for Red Bull and its sister team Racing Bulls.

Ford itself is already active in other championships, including the WEC. This year, its participation is limited to customer entries with the Mustang in the LMGT3 class, but from 2027 onwards the brand will also compete in the top class of endurance racing with an LMDh prototype.

Red Bull driver Verstappen has already shown significant interest in endurance racing and will even take part in next week's Nurburgring 24 Hours in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Given Verstappen’s interest in various motorsport disciplines, the question arises whether Ford has already held talks with the four-time F1 world champion about driving its future LMDh.

“Yes, of course,” said Ford Performance director Rushbrook in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com Netherlands. “We love Max. We love what he does in the Formula 1 car, on the track.

“We love him off the track. He's a great person, as much as he's a great driver. We love his passion to be racing GT3, like he is, and what he does with developing drivers through sim racing and getting them on the track.

“So, of course, we have regular discussions with him about what are the opportunities to do more in sportscar, including Hypercar.

Verstappen himself has also shown interest. “He’s a racer. He wants to race," according to Rushbrook.

No concrete plans yet

For now, Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028, meaning his schedule remains full in the coming years. Rushbrook therefore indicates that there is “nothing” planned for the near future. “We’re not announcing anything,” he said with a smile.

According to Rushbrook, any potential Hypercar outing for Verstappen depends on many factors. “He wants to go race Le Mans and race for the overall win, but most years the schedule doesn't allow it, right? While he's a committed Formula 1 driver, most years now it's a conflict.”

“I think we're just talking about what the opportunity is and if and when it makes sense, and everybody wants to do it, then great.”