REALITY: MAX VERSTAPPEN IS TOO COMPETITIVE TO TREAT THE BATHURST 1000 LIKE A HOBBY
From F1 to Supercars: Max Verstappen targets the Bathurst 1000 and Nürburgring 24 Hours for his 2026 racing schedule.
When Max Verstappen turned up in a Gen3 Ford Mustang Supercar right before Red Bull’s 2026 livery launch in Detroit, it wasn’t just a photo op. It was Verstappen dropping a pretty clear hint—he’s already thinking about life after Formula 1, even with his Red Bull contract running until 2028.
He used the Ford run to float an idea that, a few years ago, would’ve sounded straight-up wild: he’s eyeing the Bathurst 1000. And people are taking him seriously. Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup, who’s won the series seven times, told 7News Queensland that Verstappen at Mount Panorama isn’t some far-off fantasy. It could happen soon—maybe this year, maybe 2027.
Whincup put it simply: Verstappen’s looking at other series and championships. “If not this year, next year, we can see him behind the wheel.”
That’s a big deal. Verstappen’s side projects aren’t just the usual celebrity cameos some drivers dabble in during the off-season. He’s been clear that his long-term racing plans are probably outside F1, and his actions back that up. He’s on track to race in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this season after earning his Nordschleife licence last year and winning his GT3 debut at the ‘Green Hell’ with Chris Lulham.
So when Verstappen hops into a supercar now, it doesn’t feel like a novelty. It feels more like research.
And the Detroit run had its own little twist: the Mustang wore Red Bull Ampol Racing colours, showing off Triple Eight’s switch from GM to Ford for 2026—a move that’s already stirred up some noise in Supercars circles. Ford, Red Bull, Verstappen—all together in one shot? Perfect marketing, sure, but it’s also a real sign that, if Verstappen wants to race Bathurst, the door’s open. This isn’t random; the pieces are lining up.
Bathurst doesn’t need F1’s stamp of approval. ‘The Great Race’ has been a crown jewel of endurance racing for decades, dating all the way back to 1960 at Phillip Island, then moving to Bathurst in ’63, and stretching to 1000 km in 1973. F1 has crossed paths with it before—Jacky Ickx won in 1977 with Allan Moffat—but Verstappen showing up as a modern multi-time world champ? That would hit differently.
And not just because he’d be the latest big international star to give it a go. Verstappen isn’t the type to dabble. He’s relentlessly competitive, obsessed with detail, and only signs up for things if he’s sure he can do them right.
He’s already had a taste of Supercars, too. Verstappen first sat in one with Whincup in 2019, then drove one again in 2022. His reaction? Classic Verstappen—matter-of-fact, no-nonsense.
“I think after a few practice sessions, it’s fine,” he said. “You just need a few days of driving. It’s completely different for me. Back at home, I also drive in GT3 cars. I really enjoy it, but you have to adapt your style to it; it takes a few days.
“As a driver, your main skill is to adapt to the situation; it doesn’t matter what car, it’s also the grip levels and track layout. What you need from a car, because every track can be a bit different. It doesn’t matter if you’re an F1 driver or V8 driver; you adapt.”
That’s the interesting part: he wasn’t starstruck, but he wasn’t brushing it off either. He talked about it like a guy already thinking through the workload—the time, the learning curve, all of it. That’s a lot closer to actually doing it than just saying “maybe someday”.
And Verstappen’s not the only F1 driver circling. Supercars have always had this pull for racers—big power, heavy cars, tracks that punish mistakes, and a main event that can eat even the best alive. Daniel Ricciardo still has an open invite. In 2024, Supercars CEO Shane Howard basically called him out: “If Daniel’s listening, we want you to race here… To have someone of Daniel Ricciardo’s quality as a driver… would be very special.”
Valtteri Bottas is into it, too. “I like Supercars; it looks interesting,” he said. It’s right at the top of his list for future one-offs. “For sure, one day, I’ll do at least one race.” As for Bathurst? “That would be cool.”
Still, there’s no guarantee Verstappen jumps in. Bathurst isn’t something you do on a whim, and fitting in the right preparation around the F1 calendar—especially when Red Bull will need him leading the charge in 2026—is as much a puzzle as it is a challenge. But it’s not impossible. And if anyone’s going to pull it off, it’s probably Verstappen.
The vibe has changed. Verstappen behind the wheel of a Mustang Supercar, dressed up in Red Bull Ampol colours right before Ford’s big Detroit launch—yeah, that’s not just some random stunt. Feels like he’s leaving his options open. And honestly, that big endurance race on the other side of the world? It doesn’t seem so far away anymore.
DISCOVER WHY JONATHAN WHEATLEY BELIEVES RED BULL’S STRUGGLES FUEL MAX VERSTAPPEN’S OUTRAGE
Jonathan Wheatley claims Max Verstappen's criticism of the "anti-racing" 2026 regulations reflects Red Bull's early struggles.
Jonathan Wheatley thinks Max Verstappen’s harsh words about Formula 1’s 2026 rules say as much about Red Bull’s current struggles as they do about the new regulations.
Verstappen hasn’t held back at all; he’s been one of the loudest voices against F1’s new energy-harvesting era, calling the rules “anti-racing” during pre-season testing.
Just two races in, Verstappen’s only got eight points. After Shanghai, he walked away without scoring anything. He finished the sprint race in ninth just outside the points, mostly because he lost ground when his car bogged down from a lack of battery power right off the line.
Things didn’t get better in the main race. Verstappen tried to claw his way back, but he had to park his RB22 because of an ERS cooling problem.
He didn’t sugarcoat his feelings. Verstappen slammed the new energy management rules, energy harvesting, and super clipping, all of it, as “fundamentally flawed". He called the racing itself a "joke". For him, the whole thing’s starting to feel more like Mario Kart than real racing.
“I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch and have been practising Mario Kart, actually!” Verstappen joked when someone asked if sim time gives drivers an advantage now. “Honestly, I’m getting good at finding the mushrooms. The blue shell’s a bit tougher, but I’m working on it. No rockets yet, but they’re coming.”
He also warned F1’s leaders that these new rules could “eventually ruin the sport; it’ll come back to bite them.”
Not everyone’s moved by Verstappen’s complaints. Juan Pablo Montoya went as far as telling him, "There's the door.” Guenther Steiner, the former Haas boss, said it came off as nothing more than “toys out of the pram when it doesn’t go his way.”
Meanwhile, things look very different for Charles Leclerc. He’s been fighting for podiums in Australia and China and is loving the new era.
“I really enjoyed it,” Leclerc said. “Yeah, sometimes the overtakes feel a little fake if someone messes up their battery management; you get this huge speed difference. But we’re all learning when to push and when to risk it, and that’s creating some great overtaking spots. Today was a perfect example.”
Wheatley, watching all this, figures opinions on the new rules depend on how well one's doing. If you ask the guys up front, Ferrari and Mercedes, they love the new racing. The teams chasing them? Not so much.
He told reporters after the Chinese Grand Prix, “Talk to the Ferrari drivers; they’ll say it was a brilliant day. If you’re not winning, you just want to be able to race cleanly. Honestly, I didn’t see anything fake; every driver was fighting hard and fair. The midfield battles are fantastic; there’s a lot to like.”
And as for Verstappen’s comments? Wheatley gets it. When you’re struggling, it’s easy to point fingers.
FRED VASSEUR REJECTS TEAM ORDERS AS FERRARI DRIVERS DUEL CLEANLY IN SHANGHAI
Lewis Hamilton secures his first Ferrari podium at the Chinese GP as Fred Vasseur praises his drivers' clean racing.
Fred Vasseur felt pretty good about Ferrari’s performance in the Chinese Grand Prix, especially the way his drivers fought each other so cleanly, even though, as he admitted, it could’ve ended up looking like a disaster.
Ferrari started the race in third and fourth, and, right from the get-go, both drivers didn’t hold back. They actually got ahead of the Mercedes for a bit, but it didn't last; they ended up getting passed again. In those early laps, the two Ferraris were stuck between the Mercedes cars: Kimi Antonelli stretched his lead while George Russell stayed glued to their tails.
Lewis Hamilton led George Russell early on, and those two swapped places a bunch of times. Ferrari’s drivers did, too. There were moments when they went side by side, pushing the absolute limit, without ever making contact. Honestly, they kept at it almost the entire race. The last big move happened on Lap 40. Hamilton passed Leclerc and held onto third place, finally putting a red car on the podium for the first time this year.
Even with all that fighting, both Ferraris came home without a scratch. The drivers both said they had a blast; it was tough, hard racing, but always clean.
Vasseur, who runs the show at Ferrari, was quick to praise them. “Huge respect for both of them,” he told the press. “They’re total pros, and it just made sense to let them race. Sure, sometimes you risk looking stupid if things go wrong, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
He was clear about his philosophy early in the season: you’ve got to let the drivers race. No team orders from the pit wall, just a chance to let them build up the team spirit by pushing each other. “This is how you make real progress,” Vasseur said. “As long as they race like they did today, I won’t freeze the positions. Even on the radio, they were telling us they were having fun.”
Once Hamilton got past Leclerc on Lap 40, the order was set. Hamilton got his first podium for Ferrari, which was huge even if his first season with them had been tough so far. Vasseur wasn’t worried, though.
“It’s so much easier the second year,” Vasseur explained. “He’s been part of the project for a while now; he started working with us as far back as mid-2025, doing simulator runs. He’s got more of a stake in this now compared to when he just turned up last January, and the car was already built. He knows everyone better, and working with the team is just smoother.”
But Vasseur knows Ferrari still has a big gap to Mercedes. The team has shown some solid pace in these first two races, but closing that gap will take time. “We’ve got to keep chipping away with those small gains, that’s how we’ll catch up.”
Right now, Ferrari’s battles out on track aren’t causing any problems. As the season goes on, though, Vasseur’s going to have to keep a lid on any tension because the championship’s heating up. Ferrari trails Mercedes by 31 points, and Leclerc and Hamilton are both chasing Russell for the drivers’ title, sitting 17 and 18 points behind.
If Ferrari’s going to have any shot at beating Mercedes, they’ll need to be on it every step of the way and stay ready to jump if their rivals make a mistake.
