Ford motorsport boss insists that the Blue Oval's return to F1 is about more than Max Verstappen.

As we head into the unknown territory that is F1 2026, one of the big questions to be answered is how Red Bull will fare now that it has opted to go it alone and manufacture its own engines.

With Renault failing to get the previous rules overhaul right - to such an extent that the French manufacturer has now quit the sport - Red Bull found salvation in Honda, which powered the Austrian team to successive titles.

However, even before the first of those titles was secured, the Japanese manufacturer had announced its intention to leave the sport (again), though it continued to supply both Red Bull and Racing Bulls until the end of last year.

While Honda subsequently went back on its decision (again) and returns to F1 as a partner of Aston Martin, Red Bull, which, controversially, and in the eyes of many foolishly, opted to go it alone and produce its own engine, subsequently managed to convince Ford to return to the sport.

It goes without saying that the Blue Oval enjoys an illustrious reputation in F1, even if the legendary Cosworth engine that made its name was designed by two Britons with a budget of £100,000 (yes, one hundred thousand pounds / $134,000) provided by Ford back in Detroit.

The Ford DFV, and its derivatives, remains one of the most successful engines to grace the sport, claiming numerous titles (10 constructors' and 13 drivers') and 176 race wins between 1967 and 1983.

The American giant enjoyed significantly less success with Jaguar, after buying the Stewart Grand Prix team in 2000, and subsequently sold the operation to... Red Bull in 2004.

It was Jim Clark in the revolutionary Lotus 49 that claimed the DFV's maiden win, on its debut at Zandvoort in 1967, and while one can imagine that the American manufacturer is looking to, arguably, the finest driver on the 2026 grid to bring back F1 glory to the Blue Oval, the company's Global Director of racing, Mark Rushbrook, insists that his company isn't wholly dependent on the Dutchman.

"He is a generational talent," he tells Motorsport Italy. "To have a champion in the car with a Red Bull Ford power unit is important, right?" he adds.

"We believe in the team, we believe in the power unit, and we believe in the people that are designing the car.

"But at the end of the day, it comes down to the driver to get every single ounce out of it. And we believe Max is a champion," he continues. "Max is an important part, but it's not to the point where we would say, 'Oh, if he's gone from the team, we are too'. No, we know that we have confidence in the team and that we'll get other drivers in the future."

Of course, much of last year, especially as Red Bull lost ground to McLaren, there was speculation linking Verstappen with Mercedes, while now the focus has shifted to Aston Martin, where he could link up with Adrian Newey and Honda again.

"My comments are independent of Max," insists Rushbrook. "We want to be on the track with the intention of winning. We want to be at the front of the grid no matter what.

"We know it's a massive challenge with the all-new power unit," he admits, "but that's our intention. And if we're not, we're still committed to doing everything that we can to get to where we want to be."

Though he has admitted doubt over the new power unit, Verstappen has regularly visited the powertrains facility, spending time not only checking on progress but also seeking to maintain team morale.

"He has been through the facility several times," confirms Rushbrook. "It's great, I think, for the team to see his interest and to have him there. Showing that he cares matters, for sure.

"It's great that he's got that interest and at the same time he can get confidence in what the team is delivering for 2026."