- Verstappen tops Logan Sargeant’s Hypercar wishlist for Ford’s 2027 Le Mans bid.
- Ford Performance confirms talks with Verstappen, but rules out 2027 debut.
- A Red Bull-backed engine and an open seat make the dream harder to dismiss.
Logan Sargeant has a simple wish for Ford’s Hypercar programme: put Max Verstappen in his car.
The former Formula 1 driver made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, calling the four-time world champion “the best to ever do it.”
Ford Performance director Mark Rushbrook confirmed that the American manufacturer is already in “regular discussions” with Verstappen about a possible Hypercar role.
Ford’s return to the top of endurance racing
Ford will enter the World Endurance Championship’s top class in 2027, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The move carries significant weight for the brand. Ford won four straight Le Mans victories from 1966 to 1969 with the GT40.
The 2027 Hypercar will use an Oreca LMP2 chassis and a naturally aspirated 5.4-litre V8 engine built entirely in-house.
Red Bull Ford Powertrains will provide technical support, the same partnership that underpins Ford’s Formula 1 collaboration from 2026.
It will be one of only three non-turbocharged cars in the WEC Hypercar field, alongside the Cadillac V-Series.R and the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Sargeant was confirmed as one of Ford’s first Hypercar drivers in January. He joins Mike Rockenfeller, the 2010 Le Mans winner with Audi, and Sebastian Priaulx.
The race team will be based at a new facility in Banbury, United Kingdom. Further driver announcements are expected at Le Mans next month, with Porsche’s Matt Campbell understood to be among the new signings.
Sargeant’s bold pitch to share a car with Verstappen
Sargeant currently races for Ford in the WEC’s LMGT3 class with Proton Competition. He will step up to the Hypercar for its 2027 debut.
Asked whether he would welcome Verstappen as a teammate, the 25-year-old American did not hesitate.
“Well, if he is driving, I hope he’s in my car!” Sargeant told Motorsport.com with a laugh.
“That’s for sure. In my opinion, Max is the best to ever do it. So if I could share a car with him, that would be a huge privilege and a huge advantage.”
Sargeant was equally direct about what that advantage would mean in competitive terms.
“Well, he’s the quickest driver in the world,” he said. “He’s going to most likely kick everyone’s ass. I’d rather that be in my car than the other.”
The former Williams driver argued that Verstappen’s value would extend well beyond raw speed. “It goes so much beyond just driving style, seeing what he’s doing with the tools, lap in, lap out, how he’s making adjustments,” Sargeant explained.
“Obviously, he has so much experience from Formula 1. For him, it would just be like plug and play. There’s so much you can learn from someone like that.”
Sargeant also pointed to Verstappen’s ability to find performance even in an inferior car. “You don’t win four world championships without the speed he has,” he said.
“You see it, even when he’s not in the best car, he still finds a way to make it work. That can’t be said for everyone.”
Ford and Verstappen in ‘regular discussions’
The prospect of Verstappen driving a Ford Hypercar is not just Sargeant’s wishful thinking.
Rushbrook addressed the topic directly at the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, confirming that talks with Verstappen are both genuine and continuing.
“We love Max,” Rushbrook told Motorsport.com. “We love what he does in the Formula 1 car, on the track, we love him off the track. He’s a great person, as much as he’s a great driver.”
“We love his passion to be racing GT3, like he is, and what he does with developing drivers through sim racing and getting them on the track. So, of course, we have regular discussions with him about what are the opportunities to do more in sportscar, including Hypercars.”
Rushbrook ruled out a 2027 appearance, however, stating plainly: “Not for 2027.” He revealed that conversations with Verstappen stretch back more than three years, to around the time the Red Bull partnership was announced in early 2023.
The Le Mans weekend frequently clashes with the Formula 1 calendar, though Rushbrook noted that a deal could happen “during [his F1 career] or both,” depending on how schedules align.
Rushbrook also spoke about Verstappen’s value as a development driver, having observed him during a Red Bull F1 shakedown in Barcelona.
“Just the mental capacity and the bandwidth that he has for developing a car, for racing a car, for tuning a car,” he said. “To have a driver like that in your programme, at some point, even if it’s only for one race, is pretty meaningful.”
What lies ahead for Verstappen and Ford
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028. His schedule leaves little room. But his appetite for racing beyond Formula 1 is well-established.
He is set to compete in this week’s Nürburgring 24 Hours in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 under his own Verstappen Racing banner.
Le Mans has long been a goal for the Dutchman. He had originally planned to race there alongside Fernando Alonso and his father, Jos Verstappen, though Jos later withdrew from those plans.
With Ford now building a Hypercar powered by an engine co-developed with Red Bull Ford Powertrains, a pathway for Verstappen to race at La Sarthe in a Ford looks more realistic than it once did.
Sargeant’s message was straightforward: get Verstappen in the car, and results will follow. Whether that partnership takes shape remains uncertain.
But Ford’s ambition and Verstappen’s hunger for racing suggest the conversation still has a long way to run.
