The Secret Life of… Max Verstappen

With his recent wins in Malaysia and Mexico, Max Verstappen’s already ascending star continues to rise to even greater heights. But does that mean we know any more about motorsport’s most famous Dutchman? Time to find out…

Q: Apart from driving a Formula 1 car, what is your favourite buzz? Max Verstappen: Don’t laugh: karting!

Q: Which film last made you cry? MV: Actually I am a comedy person. Laughing is my thing. Stupid funny movies. Movies that are so stupid that they are really funny! (Laughs)

Q: What are you afraid of? MV: I guess in this I am like everybody else: I am not a big fan of spiders and sharks.

Q: What was the last book you read? MV: Actually I read two books lately: the biography of Johan Cruyff, famous Dutch football player, and his book about coaching a team.

Q: What did your teachers say about you in your school report? MV: It was the same every single year: that I could do so much better if I was interested. But I hated it.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures? MV: I like fizzy drinks. (Laughs)

Q: Do you collect anything? MV: No.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you’re travelling? MV: Family and friends.

Q: What was your worst buy? MV: I am not sure if I have ever done that. I normally always think first, like before I bought my PlayStation kit. I carry it with me all over the world – so that I can play FIFA!

Q: What’s the most embarrassing mistake you’ve ever made? MV: Crashing in the pit lane.

Q: When was the last time you were really angry? MV: A few days ago. I think it might have been in the US...

Q: Which superpower would you prefer: being able to fly or being able to become invisible? MV: Being able to fly. An Ironman/Spiderman mix! You have the webs and the jets. For sure, nothing where you have to wear tights all the time!

Q: Do you sing in the shower? MV: No singing at all!

Q: Do you believe in love at first sight? MV: It can happen, yes.

Q: What’s the worst thing about being famous? MV: Getting recognised everywhere. It’s nice in some ways that people take an interest in you, but please not all the time. Sometimes you simply want to be a private person.

Q: You can invite three people to dinner, living or dead. Who do you invite? MV: My best friends.

Q: What was the best thing about being a child? MV: Having no worries. Nobody writing stupid stories about you. You could be yourself and do crazy things.

Q: What should everyone try once in their lifetime? MV: That is different for everybody, I guess. For me it is to drive an F1 car. For somebody else it might be bungee jumping, or flying to the moon!