Ford will make its Hypercar debut within the World Endurance Championship subsequent yr, and the corporate’s racing chief Mark Rushbrook would like to see Max Verstappen race the automobile in the future.
Ford has returned to System 1 this yr due to its partnership with Crimson Bull Racing. The 2 events have joined forces for the event and manufacturing of energy items for Crimson Bull and its sister group Racing Bulls.
Ford itself is already lively in different championships, together with the WEC. This yr, its participation is proscribed to buyer entries with the Mustang within the LMGT3 class, however from 2027 onwards the model may also compete within the prime class of endurance racing with an LMDh prototype.
Crimson Bull driver Verstappen has already proven vital curiosity in endurance racing and can even participate in subsequent week’s Nurburgring 24 Hours in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Given Verstappen’s curiosity in numerous motorsport disciplines, the query arises whether or not Ford has already held talks with the four-time F1 world champion about driving its future LMDh.
“Sure, in fact,” stated Ford Efficiency director Rushbrook in an unique interview with Motorsport.com Netherlands. “We love Max. We love what he does within the System 1 automobile, on the monitor.
“We love him off the monitor. He is an incredible individual, as a lot as he is an incredible driver. We love his ardour to be racing GT3, like he’s, and what he does with growing drivers by way of sim racing and getting them on the monitor.
“So, in fact, we now have common discussions with him about what are the alternatives to do extra in sportscar, together with Hypercar.
Verstappen himself has additionally proven curiosity. “He’s a racer. He desires to race,” based on Rushbrook.
No concrete plans but
For now, Verstappen is underneath contract with Crimson Bull till the tip of 2028, that means his schedule stays full within the coming years. Rushbrook due to this fact signifies that there’s “nothing” deliberate for the close to future. “We’re not asserting something,” he stated with a smile.
In line with Rushbrook, any potential Hypercar outing for Verstappen relies on many elements. “He desires to go race Le Mans and race for the general win, however most years the schedule would not permit it, proper? Whereas he is a dedicated System 1 driver, most years now it is a battle.”
“I feel we’re simply speaking about what the chance is and if and when it is sensible, and all people desires to do it, then nice.”
Ford is having “common discussions” with Verstappen about Hypercar alternatives.
Photograph by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
Verstappen’s potential worth
If the second ever comes when Verstappen steps into Ford’s hypercar, which is ready to hit the monitor later this yr for its take a look at programme, Rushbrook expects him to be of nice worth to the challenge.
“One of many nice issues about Max, is drivers like him do not come alongside that always, when it comes to what he accomplishes on monitor, proper?”, stated Rushbrook. “But it surely’s how he accomplishes it.”
“Particularly this yr after we have been in Barcelona [for the F1 shakedown]. Listening to his suggestions on the radio whereas he is out on monitor, testing his model new automobile, after which he would come again in after doing, relying on the stint, 30, 40, 50 laps.
“The quantity of element that he is capable of give suggestions to the engineers that’s a lot extra priceless than all the information that the engineers have.
“It is complimentary, it is received to go collectively. Simply the psychological capability and the bandwidth that he has for growing a automobile, for racing a automobile, for tuning a automobile. To have a driver like that in your programme, in some unspecified time in the future, even when it is just for one race, is fairly significant.”
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