Max Verstappen turning up in a Gen3 Ford Mustang Supercar on the eve of Red Bull’s 2026 livery launch in Detroit wasn’t just a fun bit of content for the cameras. It was also a pretty loud reminder that, even with an F1 programme to lead and a Red Bull deal running to 2028, he’s already thinking beyond the paddock.
The Dutchman used the Ford-run to float something that would’ve sounded far-fetched a few seasons ago: a serious look at the Bathurst 1000. And it’s not being brushed off as idle talk on the other side of the world, either. Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup has gone on record saying Verstappen at Mount Panorama is plausible — potentially as soon as this year, or in 2027.
Whincup, a seven-time champion in the series during his driving career, told 7News Queensland that Verstappen is “looking at other series and championships,” and added: “If not this year, next year, we can see him behind the wheel.”
That matters because Verstappen’s recent “side quests” aren’t the half-hearted celebrity cameos some drivers flirt with in an offseason. He’s been increasingly open that his long-term racing future sits outside Formula 1, and his steps have matched the rhetoric. He’s expected to contest the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this season after earning his Nordschleife licence last year, then winning on his GT3 race debut at the ‘Green Hell’ in the ninth round of the NLS with teammate Chris Lulham.
So when Verstappen gets in a Supercar now, it doesn’t land as a novelty. It reads more like reconnaissance.
The Detroit run itself had its own subplot: the car wore Red Bull Ampol Racing colours, underlining Triple Eight’s move from GM to Ford for 2026 — a switch that’s been labelled controversial in Supercars circles. Ford, Red Bull and Verstappen in the same frame is an easy marketing win, but it also creates a very real pathway if Verstappen ever decides to pull the trigger on Bathurst. The pieces aren’t scattered; they’re being placed.
Bathurst, of course, doesn’t need F1 validation. ‘The Great Race’ has been a tentpole endurance event for decades, dating back to its origins in 1960 at Phillip Island before moving to Bathurst in 1963, and becoming a 1000km race in 1973. F1 has brushed up against it before too — Jacky Ickx won in 1977 with Allan Moffat — but Verstappen arriving as a modern multi-time world champion would still hit differently.
Not because he’d be the first big-name international to have a crack, but because he’s the current type of F1 superstar: relentlessly competitive, obsessively detail-driven, and, crucially, not particularly interested in doing anything unless he feels he can do it properly.
He’s also already sampled Supercars enough to know what he’d be getting into. Verstappen first sat in a Supercar back in 2019 alongside Whincup, then drove one in 2022. His take at the time was typically blunt and practical.
“I think after a few practice sessions, it’s fine,” Verstappen 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 grip levels, 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 bit: Verstappen wasn’t dazzled by it, but he wasn’t dismissive either. He spoke about it like a driver already mentally mapping the workload — the time needed, the adaptation curve, the rhythm of it. That’s a long way from “one day, maybe.”
There’s also a wider trend here that Supercars would be wise to lean into. The series has always carried a certain romance for racers — big power, heavy cars, unforgiving circuits, and a headline event that can chew up reputations. And it’s not only Verstappen circling.
Daniel Ricciardo, who left Formula 1 last season, still has a standing invite to race. Back in 2024, Supercars CEO Shane Howard openly pitched for him: “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.”
Then there’s Valtteri Bottas, who has also talked up the idea. “I like Supercars, it looks interesting,” he said, adding that the series is “on top” of his list of future one-offs and promising: “For sure one day, I’ll do at least one race.” Asked specifically about Bathurst, his answer was simple: “That would be cool.”
None of this guarantees Verstappen will actually take the plunge. Bathurst is not a place you do for a laugh, and squeezing proper preparation around an F1 calendar — especially one where Red Bull will be leaning heavily on him to spearhead 2026 — is as much a logistical fight as it is a sporting one.
But the tone around it has shifted. Verstappen driving a Mustang Supercar in Red Bull Ampol colours ahead of a Ford-linked Detroit launch isn’t a random cameo. It looks like someone keeping doors open on purpose — and a major endurance race on the other side of the planet suddenly doesn’t feel quite so distant.
