{"id":418732,"date":"2026-01-19T05:23:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T05:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/418732\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T05:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T05:23:11","slug":"ford-highlights-verstappens-role-in-red-bull-power-unit-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/418732\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford highlights Verstappen\u2019s role in Red Bull power unit development"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Ford<\/a> Racing Global Director Mark Rushbrook, Max Verstappen<\/a> has had a significant influence on the development of the new Red Bull\u2013Ford engine ahead of the 2026 Formula 1<\/a> season. Rushbrook made those remarks in an exclusive interview with GPblog.Ahead of the launch, media were welcomed to the sixth floor of the iconic Michigan Central Station, which Ford <\/a>acquired in 2018 and renovated following an investment of more than 900 million dollars in total.<\/p>\n

Several rooms were set up for press sessions and interviews, with a tightly managed schedule in place to ensure everything was ready in time for the start of the event on the ground floor, where a large crowd had already gathered in anticipation of the joint presentation.<\/p>\n

In that setting, Ford<\/a> Racing boss Mark Rushbrook spoke with GPblog about the collaboration with Red Bull and the way drivers are involved in the engine project, with Max Verstappen<\/a>\u2019s role featuring prominently in the discussion.\"ford-red-bull-detroit-michigan-launch-f1\"\/<\/p>\n

Part of the space where the interviews took place ahead of the season launch – Photo: GPblog<\/p>\n

Rushbrook confirmed that the involvement of the Formula 1<\/a> drivers is significant, with the simulator playing a central role in the process: \u201cYes, for sure,\u201d he answered when asked whether the drivers have already provided a lot of feedback\u2014and how important it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the simulator, it’s a great opportunity for the drivers to be able to get in to drive a new car, to help with the development of the car, as well as the development or calibration of the power unit.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Ford<\/a> executive stressed that the work goes beyond abstract data, placing particular emphasis on the feedback drivers gain from their experience on track. In the simulator, drivers are able to encounter scenarios that cannot be replicated on the test bench \u2014 something Rushbrook says is especially true in Verstappen\u2019s case.Verstappen plays key role in Red Bull engine developmentWhen asked for a concrete example of Verstappen\u2019s feedback that has been important in the development of the Red Bull Ford<\/a> Powertrains engine, Rushbrook immediately pointed to a specific aspect: \u201cThe biggest part is around the drivability, because a lot of people will talk about, well, who’s making the most power? And while that is important, it’s also important to be able to actually put the power down in a controlled way as the driver wants to.\u201d That, according to Rushbrook, is precisely where Verstappen adds value: \u201cThat’s where Max is great in the simulator to be able to provide that feedback in terms of what he feels. We can’t see in the dyno, but he can feel in the simulator\u201d, says the Ford<\/a> Racing boss about the importance of input from the four-time world champion.\"mark-rushbrook\"\/<\/p>\n

Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Racing – Photo: Red Bull Content Pool<\/p>\n

Rushbrook\u2019s words underline how intensively Ford<\/a> and Red Bull Powertrains are working together toward the new 2026 regulations. It\u2019s not just about power, but also about how that power is deployed by the driver. In that process, Verstappen\u2019s feedback plays a crucial role, according to Ford.Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1<\/a> paddock? Then GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog’s YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"According to Ford Racing Global Director Mark Rushbrook, Max Verstappen has had a significant influence on the development…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,28673,10221,576,577,4150,1885,130200,2190,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-418732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-f1-news","12":"tag-ford","13":"tag-formula-1","14":"tag-formula1","15":"tag-interview","16":"tag-max-verstappen","17":"tag-max-verstappen-nieuws","18":"tag-red-bull-racing","19":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}