Max verstappen surprise his mom with a brand new car worth …
As rain soaked the empty paddock on the Thursday before the Belgian Grand Prix in late July, Red Bull’s Energy Station bustled with life.
Interviews and marketing campaigns unfolded on various floors and the bottom level echoed with conversations between team personnel and visitors. AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo recited lines for some filmed content on one side of a higher floor, a clear view of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps’ Eau Rouge and Raidillon out the window beside him. Max Verstappen sat on a couch at the opposite end of the room as a series of video crews came by for interviews.
Rather than being rigid or aloof like many fans might expect from a two-time reigning world champion, the 25-year-old appeared light and jovial, chatting with the crews as they set up. He maintained eye contact with each journalist across from him and gave thoughtful responses, cracking a few jokes along the way.
En route to his third consecutive world championship, Verstappen is a good bet to become one of the sport’s all-time greats. But he doesn’t carry the aura you’d expect from F1’s superstar. Facing microphone after microphone, he maintained a surprising air of normalcy. Sitting across from him at Red Bull’s Energy Station feels like speaking with an everyday twenty-something — even if this one lives in Monaco, drives luxury cars and has a salary in the multi-millions.
Verstappen doesn’t like warm drinks, and though he is often seen with a Red Bull can nearby, he only drinks a few a day. He is strongly against pineapple pizza and doesn’t eat much fruit; he’s more of a chicken, veggie and quinoa person. He doesn’t go to the supermarket much anymore, and not just because so many people stop him to ask for pictures. “It’s dangerous that I go because I just load everything in it, and it’s not good for my weight,” Verstappen said. “So I have to be a little bit careful.”
He takes his own trash out but doesn’t cook much because of the length of the process compared to how long you enjoy the meal. He of course has social media accounts, but the reigning F1 champion sometimes doesn’t know how to post an Instagram story, asking his friends or girlfriend how the apps work, given how often they’re updated.
Outside of racing-related activities like watching non-F1 categories, Verstappen doesn’t have hobbies. “I’m not good at anything else. I’m not good at tennis. I’m not good at golf,” he said. “If I’m not good at it, I can’t enjoy it because it’s just terrible. I mean, you look like a clown.” Verstappen is competitive; he finds “no enjoyment in being bad.”
