It’s always been known that Max Verstappen was destined for greatness. At just 17 years and 166 days, he became the youngest driver to compete in F1. Fast-forward eight years, and the Dutchman looks set to claim his third Drivers’ World Championship this season, placing him among the greats.
Starting with the Miami Grand Prix in May, the 25-year-old has strung together eight consecutive victories, including five fastest laps and six pole positions. As F1 returns to action this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s top driver has his sights set on picking up where he left off. If Verstappen triumphs yet again on the circuit in Zandvoort, he will tie Sebastian Vettel’s all-time record of nine race wins, which he achieved in 2013.
While some drivers might be out celebrating their successes, Verstappen confesses he really enjoys his quality time with friends and family at home. Ahead of his home race in the Netherlands, Verstappen discussed why he’s not fazed by breaking records, his latest sporting obsession, the recent dramatic rescue attempt for one of his cats and more.
David Kirouac/USA TODAY Sports
Sports Illustrated: It’s your home race this weekend here in Zandvoort. Describe the feeling of racing in the Netherlands in three words.
Max Verstappen: Exciting. Happy. Relaxed.
SI: Is this circuit one you spent a lot of time at before it joined the calendar in 2021?
MV: I haven’t actually driven here a lot. I’ve done an F3 race here and maybe two days of testing in an F3 car as well. I didn’t really get to drive here a lot. But, I mean, my junior career wasn’t that long, so I never really had the opportunity to drive here much.
SI: This weekend you have the ability to equal Sebastian Vettel’s nine wins in a row, which he achieved in 2013. Many thought it would never be beaten, but here we are. You’ve said in the past you’ve never been interested in breaking records. Is that still the same?
MV: I mean, of course, it’s an amazing record that Vettel has. But for me what’s most important is just that we win the championship. If that doesn’t happen with a winning-streak record, that’s fine for me as well. It’s all about the title at the end of the day, that’s what people will always remember, and a winning streak record in that sense is a little bit less important.
SI: Are you a big buff when it comes to the 70-year history of F1? Some drivers, like Vettel, can recite every world champion and the season they won backward.
MV: No, some people are a bit more keen on these kinds of things than others.
SI: What about racing some of the older cars that were used decades ago? Your dad used to race in F1. Would you like to try one of his cars?
MV: Maybe like 2004 to 2007. It’s the V12 engine, and they’re a bit lighter in weight.
SI: Away from racing, what does a typical off day look like for you?
MV: Honestly, being at home. Having fun with family, friends, and playing sports with other friends. Pretty normal. Nothing too crazy. I used to have a lot of time, and I would play a lot on the simulator at home. But recently I discovered a bit of padel. I don’t like tennis, but padel is a bit more fun for me and probably a bit easier to get into as well when you are a beginner. I played with [former AlphaTauri driver] Nyck de Vries this morning before I got here, so I love it. It’s good, also just racing friends, to just hang out with. [McLaren F1 Driver] Lando Norris even played with me a little bit a few days ago.
SI: It’s good you’re staying in touch with de Vries after he lost his F1 seat following the British Grand Prix. You two have been friends a long time. You helped him get his seat. Has he come to you for any advice in the last few weeks?
MV: No, I think he’s quite sorted. He knows what he wants to do. You know, life goes on. It’s not all about F1 anyway.
SI: Are you a big TV fan? Podcasts? Movies? What’s your go-to thing?
MV: Not podcasts, not a lot of music. I mean, I watch a movie here and there. I like action movies, I enjoy those a bit more. For TV series it depends, I like to watch documentaries about people.
SI: What was the last thing you watched?
MV: At Home With the Furys on Netflix. It’s different insights to people.
SI: One thing I know you’re very passionate about is your cats. I have to ask you about a video I saw of you hammering down a door in your apartment because your cat got stuck. Can you please explain what happened there?
MV: I think I was maybe home alone and the cats were just walking around, like they always do; they sometimes come to the simulator. One cat was there, and the other one I hadn’t seen for like three hours, which is a little bit odd because they always walk in and out but they come back. So I was walking around, and suddenly, there was some meowing going on. Then my girlfriend, Kelly [Piquet], came back at the time, and she realized the meowing was coming from a door but she couldn’t open it. So what happened was that when family comes over with kids, or whatever, you have these little gates you put up. The cat went in there. The gate was against the wall. It jumped on top and it fell down and blocked the door, so it was impossible to open. I couldn’t lift it up because the door wasn’t opening enough, and basically the only solution was to make a hole in the door! I didn’t know how far it fell down so I had to choose and pick where to make the hole. The cat was already in there for three hours in the dark. She was meowing a lot and not happy, so I had to try and get her out quickly.
SI: You had a hammer to hand? Are you much of a DIY person?
MV: No, normally not. My dad is much more like that. But yeah, sometimes it needs to be done.
SI: You’re kept very busy with Red Bull, and they get you doing all sorts of activities away from the track. What’s been your favorite so far?
MV: Honestly, we have done quite a few fun ones. I think where I have laughed probably the most was with Daniel Ricciardo back in the day with the caravans. We flew in together, it was very early and weren’t looking forward to it. But actually, I think we had one of the best days of shooting content.
SI: Ricciardo rejoined the Red Bull family for this season and was promoted to a full-time race seat last month at AlphaTauri, replacing de Vries. I bet you’re happy to have him back in the paddock.
MV: Yeah, we get on really well. When I first joined Daniel at Red Bull Racing, I was 18. You know, very young. I think also I matured quite a bit, so we are more on one line now than what we were back then. Just because of me maturing a lot, but we get on very well here.
