Max Verstappen’s talent isn’t up for debate. He’s a genius behind the wheel, one of the greatest of all time, capable of conjuring pace where none should exist. Watching him bend performance to his will is electrifying.
But as a personality, Max has often been hard to warm to. His default mood seems “grumpy,” and his uncompromising racecraft – thrilling when fighting equals – can descend into petulance when Red Bull lacks the pace, as seen in his clash with George Russell in Spain.
And yet, signs are emerging of a more rounded, even admirable Max. The birth of his first child was followed by a storming Miami pole. Disguised as “Franz Hermann,” he smashed a Nürburgring lap record in a Ferrari GT3 and responded coolly to critics with facts, not tantrums. In Monaco, he skipped a glitzy F1 movie screening to be with family, and in New York he again chose track time – testing an Aston Martin GT3 – over the red carpet.
It’s these glimpses that make you reassess Verstappen the man. Perhaps behind the intensity and prickly exterior lies a driver with not just supreme talent, but also his priorities firmly in place.
