Verstappen at Le Mans with Ford - what Rushbrook said in 2026
In the WEC paddock at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, Ford's global racing director Mark Rushbrook didn't dance around the question. Yes — Ford and Max Verstappen have been talking about a Le Mans Hypercar drive, and they have been talking for more than three years. No — it won't happen in 2027, but the door is wide open for what comes after.
What Mark Rushbrook actually said at Spa
Saturday, May 9. WEC paddock at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of round 2 of the 2026 season. Reporters from Sportscar365, RACER and Motorsport.com had Rushbrook on a media gaggle, and the question dropped naturally: are Ford and Verstappen actually in conversation about a Le Mans Hypercar drive?
"We would love to see that, yes," Rushbrook said. "A lot of things need to align for that to happen, but that would of course be incredible for us, for the sport."
The conversations have been ongoing for more than three years — roughly since Ford announced its Red Bull power-unit partnership in early 2023. On 2027 specifically Rushbrook was direct: "Not for 2027. Depending on the schedules and what's going on, it could be during [his F1 career]." Translation: maybe during Verstappen's F1 years, maybe after — but not in the rookie season.
Rushbrook also addressed Verstappen's choice to do his Nürburgring debut next weekend in a Mercedes-AMG, not a Ford. "Obviously, we prefer our Ford drivers to stay with Ford. We understand why he did it — we love his passion, his personality. It makes him better because it's the right program for him right now, but of course, we'd love to see him in a Ford." Professional respect, with a wink. That same paddock is where Red Bull Racing — Verstappen's team — now runs Red Bull Ford Powertrains badging on every F1 car, and fans of the partnership already have the full 2026 Red Bull Racing collection to wear on a race weekend.
Why 2027 won't happen — the Sargeant, Priaulx, Rockenfeller lineup
Rushbrook didn't rule Verstappen out of 2027 because Ford doesn't want him. Ford already has a plan, and the plan is fixed.
The lineup for the Hypercar's debut season was announced January 16, 2026, at Ford Racing's Season Launch in Detroit: Logan Sargeant (ex-Williams F1 driver, 36 Grand Prix starts), Sebastian Priaulx (multiple GTD Pro race winner with Multimatic's Ford Mustang in IMSA), and Mike Rockenfeller (four-time DTM champion and 2010 Le Mans overall winner with Audi). All three are on the books. A fourth driver will be confirmed at Le Mans in June 2026 — Sportscar365 reports Porsche factory driver Matt Campbell and Toyota WEC veteran Mike Conway are both in the running.
Then there's the car. Ford's Hypercar is built on an ORECA chassis but powered by a 5.4-litre naturally-aspirated V8, developed in-house with Red Bull Ford Powertrains support and based on Ford's Coyote engine architecture. That makes it one of only three non-turbocharged Hypercars on the 2027 grid — a sound-and-feel choice as much as a technical one. As Hypercar programme manager Dan Sayers put it: "When you hear a Ford coming down the Mulsanne Straight at three in the morning, you shouldn't have to look at the badge to know who it is." That's why 2027 is a learning year — a V8 debut against Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Peugeot and Alpine is hard enough without parachuting a four-time F1 world champion into the cockpit.
The third reason is the calendar. Le Mans falls between the Canadian and Spanish Grands Prix on the F1 calendar. Even Alonso, who won outright with Toyota in 2018, only managed it because that year's Le Mans landed in the gap after Canada — not on top of it. Most years, the gap doesn't open.
The Nürburgring weekend that's making this conversation real
The Ford talks aren't happening in a vacuum. They're happening because Verstappen has spent the last eight months building the most aggressive endurance CV of any active F1 champion in years.
September 2025: a two-week F1 break, days after his Azerbaijan GP win — Verstappen makes his GT3 debut in the Nürburgring Endurance Series in a Ferrari 296 GT3 with Emil Frey Racing. He wins, first time out. March 2026: back at the Nordschleife for NLS2, now in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered by his own Verstappen Racing team with Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon. They cross the line first, then they're disqualified. The result reads DNF — but the speed was there for everyone to see.
May 14-17, 2026: the big one. ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. Verstappen Racing entry #3, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in Red Bull livery, operationally run by Winward Racing. Teammates: Juncadella, Gounon and Austrian Lucas Auer — a 167-race DTM veteran and Mercedes-AMG factory driver. Race start: Saturday May 16, 15:00 CEST (9:00 AM ET / 13:00 UTC).
The number that tells the rest of the story: for the first time in the race's 54-year history, weekend tickets have sold out completely. ADAC, the organising club, had to publish a statement — no Saturday box-office sales. Every official asked about it gave the same answer: the Verstappen effect.
For fans watching Saturday's race who start thinking about what actually keeps drivers in seats through a Nordschleife night, the same brands that supply the GT3 paddock — Sparco, OMP, Alpinestars — supply the race and rally equipment shelves.
F1, the 2028 exit clause and the sabbatical question
To understand why the Le Mans conversation is louder right now than at any point in Verstappen's career, you have to understand what's happening inside his F1 cockpit. The 2026 regulations — V6 hybrid engines with a near-50/50 combustion/electric split, no MGU-H, active aerodynamics — have produced a season Verstappen has called "anti-racing" and "Formula E on steroids." After the Japanese GP in March, he told BBC Sport he was seriously considering quitting at year's end.
Miami on May 3 brought a small reset. Verstappen qualified front row, spun on lap 1, and clawed back to P5 — his most competitive weekend so far in 2026. Kimi Antonelli won his third straight to extend a 20-point championship lead. The Red Bull RB22 isn't a championship car yet, but it's no longer the disaster it was in Shanghai.
This matters because of Verstappen's contract. The deal runs through end of 2028, but contains a performance-linked exit clause that activates for 2026 if he finishes outside the top two in the Drivers' Championship at the summer break. ESPN reported the clause was "specifically added" because of Verstappen's pre-season apprehension about the new regulations; Sky Sports, Motorsport.com and The Race have confirmed the structure.
After Miami, Verstappen sits well outside the top two. The clause is more likely to activate than not. New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has been clear about the counter-offer: "If we get him a fast car, I'm sure it's cancelling out all the other considerations." Per ESPN's reporting, Verstappen is leaning toward a sabbatical rather than full retirement — and the distinction is everything. A sabbatical keeps the F1 door open while letting him do the things F1 currently won't: 24h Nürburgring every year, Le Mans, the GT3 program at his own team. Full retirement at 28 with four titles in the bank would be a strange call. A sabbatical is the grown-up version.
The Alonso-Verstappen-Jos plan that almost was
Le Mans isn't a new idea for Verstappen. The first version of the plan was a family affair.
Per Fernando Alonso himself, the two-time Le Mans winner had been openly discussing a joint entry with Verstappen since at least 2024. Alonso won outright with Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2018 and 2019, partnered with Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima — still the only active F1 driver with two Le Mans wins in his career. The pitch Verstappen put to him: a three-driver entry with Max, Alonso and Jos Verstappen — Max's father, two-time F1 podium finisher and (less remembered) a Le Mans LMP2 class winner in 2008.
The plan died in February 2025. Max told the Mirror that his father had withdrawn: "He is still very good at it — he doesn't want to. He just doesn't want to do it anymore." Max and Alonso said they would keep looking for a third driver.
And then there's Hulkenberg — the other active F1 driver who's actually got it done. Nico Hulkenberg won Le Mans in 2015 with Porsche's 919 Hybrid in the top LMP1 class, partnered with Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, while driving for Force India in F1. Hulkenberg, now at Audi for the 2026 F1 season, remains the only active F1 driver to win Le Mans without taking a sabbatical to do it.
Precedent exists. The schedule has to cooperate, the team has to be a contender, and the driver has to want it more than the next title.
Frequently asked questions
Will Verstappen race Le Mans for Ford in 2027?
No. Ford has officially ruled out Verstappen for its debut Hypercar lineup. The 2027 trio is Logan Sargeant, Sebastian Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller, with a fourth driver to be announced at Le Mans in June 2026. A Verstappen entry would be 2028 or later.
Which active F1 drivers have won Le Mans?
Nico Hulkenberg (Porsche, 2015) and Fernando Alonso (Toyota, 2018 and 2019). Verstappen would be the third on the list if he ever starts.
When can I watch the 24h Nürburgring 2026 with Verstappen?
Race start: Saturday May 16, 2026, 15:00 CEST (9:00 AM ET / 13:00 UTC). Full coverage on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel. Weekend tickets are sold out.
Whether the next chapter is a 2028 Ford Hypercar entry, a sabbatical filled with Le Mans starts, or a 2027 return to the front of the F1 grid in a faster Red Bull — that decision lives inside Max Verstappen's head. What's no longer in question is whether the option exists. Rushbrook has just said it out loud.
