Ford motorsport boss insists that the Blue Oval’s return to F1 is about greater than Max Verstappen.
As we head into the unknown territory that’s F1 2026, one of many massive inquiries to be answered is how Pink Bull will fare now that it has opted to go it alone and manufacture its personal engines.
With Renault failing to get the earlier guidelines overhaul proper – to such an extent that the French producer has now stop the game – Pink Bull discovered salvation in Honda, which powered the Austrian workforce to successive titles.
Nevertheless, even earlier than the primary of these titles was secured, the Japanese producer had introduced its intention to depart the game (once more), although it continued to provide each Pink Bull and Racing Bulls till the top of final yr.
Whereas Honda subsequently went again on its choice (once more) and returns to F1 as a accomplice of Aston Martin, Pink Bull, which, controversially, and within the eyes of many foolishly, opted to go it alone and produce its personal engine, subsequently managed to persuade Ford to return to the game.
It goes with out saying that the Blue Oval enjoys an illustrious repute in F1, even when the legendary Cosworth engine that made its identify was designed by two Britons with a finances of £100,000 (sure, 100 thousand kilos / $134,000) supplied by Ford again in Detroit.
The Ford DFV, and its derivatives, stays one of the vital profitable engines to grace the game, claiming quite a few titles (10 constructors‘ and 13 drivers‘) and 176 race wins between 1967 and 1983.
The American big loved considerably much less success with Jaguar, after shopping for the Stewart Grand Prix workforce in 2000, and subsequently offered the operation to… Pink Bull in 2004.
It was Jim Clark within the revolutionary Lotus 49 that claimed the DFV’s maiden win, on its debut at Zandvoort in 1967, and whereas one can think about that the American producer is seeking to, arguably, the best driver on the 2026 grid to convey again F1 glory to the Blue Oval, the corporate’s World Director of racing, Mark Rushbrook, insists that his firm is not wholly depending on the Dutchman.
„He’s a generational expertise,“ he tells Motorsport Italy. „To have a champion within the automobile with a Pink Bull Ford energy unit is vital, proper?“ he provides.
„We consider within the workforce, we consider within the energy unit, and we consider within the folks which might be designing the automobile.
„However on the finish of the day, it comes all the way down to the motive force to get each single ounce out of it. And we consider Max is a champion,“ he continues. „Max is a vital half, however it’s to not the purpose the place we’d say, ‚Oh, if he is gone from the workforce, we’re too‘. No, we all know that we’ve confidence within the workforce and that we’ll get different drivers sooner or later.“
After all, a lot of final yr, particularly as Pink Bull misplaced floor to McLaren, there was hypothesis linking Verstappen with Mercedes, whereas now the main focus has shifted to Aston Martin, the place he might hyperlink up with Adrian Newey and Honda once more.
„My feedback are unbiased of Max,“ insists Rushbrook. „We wish to be on the observe with the intention of successful. We wish to be on the entrance of the grid it doesn’t matter what.
„We all know it is a huge problem with the all-new energy unit,“ he admits, „however that is our intention. And if we’re not, we’re nonetheless dedicated to doing every little thing that we will to get to the place we wish to be.“
Although he has admitted doubt over the brand new energy unit, Verstappen has repeatedly visited the powertrains facility, spending time not solely checking on progress but in addition looking for to keep up workforce morale.
„He has been by the ability a number of occasions,“ confirms Rushbrook. „It is nice, I feel, for the workforce to see his curiosity and to have him there. Exhibiting that he cares issues, for positive.
„It is nice that he is bought that curiosity and on the similar time he can get confidence in what the workforce is delivering for 2026.“
