Comment by Jehran Naidoo
Say what you want about Max Verstappen – cocky, arrogant and sometimes overly aggressive, but you cannot deny that the four-time world champion has a hunger unparalleled to most of his competitors.
It’s mid-season and the paddock took a bit of a break to help the mothership market its new movie “F1”, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris.
There was a fancy display of the grid in New York and most of the drivers showed up wearing their Sunday best. Hamilton won the best dressed award, as usual…
But Verstappen opted to head home to spend some time with Lily and test out a GT3 spec Aston Martin at one of motorsports greatest tracks – Spa.
He was not the only one to sit the premier out, as Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had to head back to Italy to write his exams – clearly another hungry driver – just hungry for his education at this point.
Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll also sat out the premier due to their own personal reasons while Verstappen laid down some times in the Aston Martin.
Going under the alias “Franz Hermann” when he’s out racing GT3 cars, Verstappen could either just be training to become a better F1 driver or getting ready to make a pivot into a new career path.
His unhappiness at Red Bull has not been a secret, amid car development challenges and key staff members, like designer Adrian Newey, leaving the Milton Keynes outfit.
The Dutch-Belgian driver has also devoted a bit more time to his family since the birth of his new daughter, and could also explain his absence from the premier.
But he did not miss the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.
The 2025 season, which marks a decade in F1 for Verstappen, has had its ups and downs – but most of it was spent chasing the tail end of papaya lightning.
His win in Japan showed a level of driving that even shocked his own team, who knew the RB21 stood no chance against both McLarens.
Then again at Imola, Verstappen pulled off not only a win, but a sizable lead ahead of Oscar Piastri in the McLaren, a bit of a flex to show off the new money Red Bull had dumped into the RB21’s development post Newey.
The paddock will pack up in New York and unload at the Red Bull ring in Austria next weekend, and Verstappen will have a chance to claim another victory in his home turf and add some much needed points toward his fifth title shot.
Equalling Schumacher’s record of five straight world titles is a feat still very much possible at this stage, especially with McLaren losing a bit of concentration in recent weeks.
But he will have to deal with a determined George Russell and another hungry future champion in Antonelli.
The Italian teenager has given Mercedes a fighting chance for the Constructors title this year, enough to rival the prowess of McLaren.
Red Bull, on the other hand, can only put all their eggs in Verstappen’s basket at this point – as the “cursed” second seat bears no fruit for Christian Horner, who does not remember what a Constructors title tastes like.
But many have speculated that Verstappen will call it quits after this season, and cannot invest his career into Red Bull’s hopes and dreams in F1.
He has stated that his interest in GT3 racing is real, and is also known to be a sim-racing expert – competing in 24-hour events online as well.
