Racing chief wants Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen dream team

Max Verstappen

Racing chief wants Ricciardo and Verstappen dream team

Will Max Verstappen soon be racing Ford cars?

By Sam Cook.

Friday 12 June 2026 18:05

A racing chief has hinted that former Red Bull F1 team-mates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen could soon be operating under the same umbrella once more.

Verstappen and Ricciardo were team-mates at Red Bull between 2016-2018, and have maintained a close relationship since then, being reunited earlier this year for a Ford Racing season launch.

Ricciardo is now retired from racing and has taken up a role as a global ambassador for Ford Racing, but Verstappen still races in F1 with Red Bull.

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Verstappen also competes in GT3 racing for his own Verstappen Racing team, who currently operate in Mercedes machinery.

But because of Red Bull's close ties with Ford due to their power unit partnership, rumours have hinted that Verstappen Racing may use Ford cars in future, with Ford Racing director Mark Rushbrook admitting that he would love to see Verstappen racing around in a Ford sportscar.

Verstappen to join Ford?

Rushbrook was asked in a recent interview about whether or not conversations had happened with Verstappen about him racing in a Ford sportscar in the future.

"We love the fact that Max is just an out-and-out racer," Rushbrook told The Race. "That's all he wants to do is get in and compete and win, whether it's virtual racing or Formula 1 or sportscar racing like that.

"I was there at the 24 hours of Nurburgring. It was great to see him there. He put on an incredible display. It was heartbreaking, honestly, even though he was not in a Ford! It was still heartbreaking to see what happened to his car.

"But of course we do [have conversations], right? We have that ladder from a spec racing car to a Mustang GT4 to a Mustang GT3, and now a hypercar coming.

"So we'd love, when it's right for him and right for us, to have that relationship in sportscar racing as well."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Daniel Ricciardo