Ford will stay with Red Bull even if Verstappen leaves

      Over the past year and a half, rumors about the possible departure of Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing have periodically subsided and flared up with renewed vigor. Mark Rushbrook, head of Ford Performance Motorsport, said that the company would not refuse to cooperate with the Milton Keynes team, even if Max would not be in the squad.

      "In all the series we participate in, we want to have the best team, the best drivers and the best specialists," British Autosport quoted Rushbrooke as saying, "But are we signing contracts with any particular person? No, because we have a multi-year project, and we know that people in the project will change.

      We knew about Christian Horner's situation, we knew about Adrian Newey, we knew about the drivers. Some of them changed even before we hit the highway.

      Do we want Max to stay at Red Bull-Ford in 2026 and beyond? Sure. He is a world champion, a great racer, able to lead the whole team. Will we abandon the project if Max leaves the team? No, we are determined."