Max Verstappen Once Joked His Car “Hit Puberty,” Making It Tricky to Drive Early in the Season

Max Verstappen 1 (NED), HONDA Red Bull Racing RB18 laughing during the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2022

Each of the recent F1 seasons have featured 20 drivers and with that also come 20 different personalities. Max Verstappen over the years has developed an aggressive personality because of how hard he races on the track but what often goes unnoticed is his sense of humor when he is not racing.

During an interview back in 2017, the Dutchman was asked about his car by Sky Sports F1 analyst Ted Kravitz and if he had named it after a woman like most of the F1 drivers do. In reply, Verstappen said,

“Everybody names the car a girl. I’m like no, it’s a guy. Why should it be a girl?”

He then hilariously added that his car was dealing with puberty at the start of the season as he had difficulty with the handling of the RB13. “In the beginning of the year, he was being a bit of a difficult person … Puberty,” he remarked.

With the advent of sports broadcasting, fans are able to get a more human peak into the lives and personalities of these drivers. Naming a car is yet another tradition that makes the sport more believable for the fans to get attached to.

While the teams have an official code for naming the cars each season, drivers like Sebastian Vettel make the matter more human. The former Red Bull and Ferrari driver had a habit of naming his cars.

That said, his final F1 car — the AMR22 — is the only car he’s not named. When quizzed why, he had said mid-season that year that he was waiting for the car to get a bit better in terms of performance before christening her.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Max Verstappen Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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