No one wants to mess with Max Verstappen. That’s what most who aren’t part of F1’s exclusive club would believe, and rightly so. Because when it comes to seeing him on the track, fighting for wins, the Dutchman appears to be hot-headed, aggressive, and someone whose wrong side one wouldn’t want to get on. But that isn’t entirely true.
RB CEO Peter Bayer recently revealed in an interview with RacingNews365 about how Verstappen really is as a person. He shared these thoughts after seeing an entirely different side of the Dutchman once he congratulated him on his 2024 Drivers’ title victory after the Las Vegas Grand Prix last season.
“I went up to him in Vegas to congratulate him,” Bayer said. “And there he was, again in his sneakers, jeans, and a T-shirt, with a beer in his hand. He just has this aura“.
George: “I saw him (Max) in the bar at 9 in the morning when I was leaving to the airport”
Max: “I was very thirsty, I mean it! I mean, it was 5pm somewhere so…”
George: “Max is a pro racing driver, pro fifa player, padel player, drinker..” pic.twitter.com/FvnCcNiElj
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) November 28, 2024
Bayer went on to say that away from the cameras, Verstappen has a demeanor that he tries to shield from the outside world. The 52-year-old also praised him for his intellect and sense of humor.
“He’s genuine and very funny. He’s got a great sense of humor,” Bayer added. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this, because maybe he doesn’t want people to know, but he’s witty and very, very smart.” On the track, however, Verstappen is a ruthless competitor, as witnessed multiple times throughout his career.
He has an innate ability to fight for wins regardless of the situation he is in, as evidenced by the entirety of the 2024 season where he dragged a sub-optimal RB20 to Championship glory. In the process, however, he did pick up some fights, most notably with Lando Norris.
Norris was Verstappen’s only title rival in 2024, and although the Briton’s charge wavered off in the closing stages, Verstappen’s fierceness was on full display. Things got so heated at one point that Norris spoke about losing respect for the 27-year-old. According to Verstappen, however, things were much worse a few years ago.
Verstappen got more relaxed after 2021
Bayer seeing a cool Verstappen shouldn’t come as a surprise because after what the Dutchman went through in 2021, everything would seem mellow. This, of course, is about the title battle he had with Lewis Hamilton, which saw them enter the season finale level on points, with only a controversial decision in the final lap sealing the title in his favor. That season, however, Verstappen admitted that his personality had taken a shift for the better.
“I’m a more relaxed driver these days,” he said as per Squaremile. “I have a lot more experience now. I’ve been through a lot of different scenarios and situations over the years. It just makes you anticipate a lot more things, and you have so much more knowledge about a Formula One car nowadays – all these things just help to make things a lot easier.”
2021 was the season Verstappen must have learned the most about being a competitor in F1. And likely, it also taught him to keep things happening on the track separate from his personal life and friendships. That’s why, the cool Verstappen appeared in front of Bayer with a beer in his hand.
