Ford reportedly made a determined push to get Max Verstappen behind the wheel of its Mustang GT3 Evo for this weekend's Nurburgring 24 Hours — a marketing dream given Red Bull will be running Ford-branded power units in Formula 1 from this season — but the four-time world champion has lined up in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 anyway.
Verstappen is sharing the #3 Verstappen.com Racing entry with Lucas Auer and Maro Engel, an extension of his existing relationship with the three-pointed star's customer GT3 programme that stretches back several seasons. From Ford's perspective, the optics are awkward. The Blue Oval has positioned its Red Bull tie-up as a flagship return to top-flight motorsport, and its Mustang GT3 Evo is the new poster car of its customer racing push.
What makes the situation more striking is how openly the manufacturer has acknowledged it. According to reporting picked up by F1 commentary outlets this week, Ford's stance was effectively that the company would have preferred its highest-profile partner driver in one of its own cars — a line summarised as: "We prefer our Ford drivers to stay in Fords." There is no public bitterness, but there is also no pretence that this was the outcome Ford was hoping for.
It is a reminder of the limits of badge loyalty when a driver of Verstappen's stature is involved. The Red Bull-Ford power unit partnership in F1 is a corporate arrangement; the Verstappen.com Racing programme is, in effect, his own private team in everything but ownership detail. Mercedes-AMG has spent years building the relationship that put him into those GT3s, and as he made clear in his comments about preparation, the bond with the package is personal.
There is also the not-insignificant matter of competitiveness. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been a serial Nurburgring 24 winner across the last decade. The Mustang GT3 Evo, while increasingly competitive in IMSA and select WEC efforts, does not yet carry the same Nordschleife pedigree. For a driver chasing the chance to become the first active F1 racer since Niki Lauda to win the race outright, machinery choice is not just branding — it is the entire calculation.
That said, the situation underscores how layered Verstappen's motorsport portfolio is becoming. Red Bull, Ford and the new F1 era are one chapter. His sports-car ambitions — explicitly including stated interest in Le Mans, with Mark Rushbrook confirming Ford's interest — are another. And his Verstappen.com Racing team, running Mercedes machinery, is a third. They will not always pull in the same direction.
For now, the message Ford has chosen to send publicly is gracious but honest. The message Verstappen has sent by his entry list is just as clear: when the race genuinely matters, he will pick the car he believes can win it.
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*Originally published on [Formula News](https://newsformula.one/article/ford-verstappen-mustang-gt3-nurburgring-24-mercedes-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
