Red Bull get exciting Max Verstappen commitment as exit from F1 team discussed | F1 | Sport
Red Bull have received a reassuring update from Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook, who has confirmed that the American motor company will not end their technical partnership with the F1 giants if star driver Max Verstappen quits the team.
Ford has joined forces with Laurent Mekies’ squad to offer technical expertise to the Red Bull Powertrains venture as the Milton Keynes squad prepares for its first year as a power unit provider. Speculation about the team’s engines has added to uncertainty heading into the first year of the new regulations.
Whether or not the Red Bull power units are competitive will have a significant impact on Max Verstappen’s decision when the four-time world champion gives a verdict on his future later in the year. The Dutchman opted against a move to Mercedes last year, keeping his options open to survey the landscape.
Speaking to Motorsport.com Italy about the team’s chances, Rushbrook explained: “Having a champion behind the wheel with a Red Bull-Ford power unit is important, right?
“We believe in the team, we believe in the power unit, and we believe in the people who design the car. But ultimately, it’s the driver who has to extract every ounce of performance. And we believe Max is a champion.”
He continued: “Max is an important part of the team, but not to the point where we’re saying, ‘If he leaves the team, then we’re leaving too.’ No, we have faith in the team and know that other drivers will arrive in the future.”
The 2026 campaign is a significant year for the talent in the pipeline, as alluded to by Rushbrook. Alongside Verstappen this year will be Isack Hadjar, who made his F1 debut with Racing Bulls in 2025 and was widely considered the strongest rookie in a strong field.
Replacing him at Racing Bulls is 18-year-old Brit Arvid Lindblad, who has long been considered a future star for Red Bull. The Surrey-born teenager scored three victories en route to a sixth-place Drivers’ Championship finish in his rookie Formula Two campaign last year, and is being thrown in at the deep end next year.
Verstappen, meanwhile, has made it clear that his preference is to see out his F1 career with Red Bull, but the message to the team is clear, and Mekies knows that, if he is to retain the four-time world champion, he will need to produce a car capable of fighting for regular Grand Prix victories. At least Ford will be along for the ride either way.
