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“I Just Put My Brain Activity on 1%”: Max Verstappen on Media Obligations Enforced by F1 on Him

Pranay Bhagi
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“I Just Put My Brain Activity on 1%”: Max Verstappen on Media Obligations Enforced by F1 on Him

Max Verstappen, a man of simple taste, just wants to win Championships and spend time with close ones. But with F1 drivers being global stars, drivers have to focus on media obligations and Verstappen cannot be exempted from it. In a recent interview, Verstappen reveals how he deals with PR and marketing.

Verstappen doesn’t think a lot when he has to appear for his media duties. “I know it’s part of F1”, he said. “Every weekend is the same which makes it easy because you’re always talking about the same things. It’s very repetitive.”

If the media asked new questions instead of something he prepared for, Verstappen would feel tired. He usually puts his brain on ‘low power mode’, so that he can think about other things, related to racing or setups.

“You get used to it. You get comfortable in the environment and you deal with it,” he added. “When I do these kinds of things, I put my brain activity on 1% so the time flies by a bit more.” It is a known fact in the F1 community that Verstappen isn’t a fan of the marketing stuff so his tactic of not thinking about it actually helps him save crucial energy.

The Red Bull driver never hides that he isn’t a huge fan of the marketing aspect of being in an F1 team, so not thinking much about it, saves crucial energy.

Verstappen isn’t usually grumpy 

Verstappen is a no-nonsense figure when it comes to dealing with the media. He won’t hesitate to fire back when hit with inappropriate questions. However, Gemma Lusty, the Red Bull communication manager, suggests that Verstappen isn’t usually grumpy when it comes to marketing duties.

He once slammed a reporter at the 2021 Hungarian GP, when he asked about the chances of a crash between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen. The Dutchman was livid because this was just one week after his scary 51G impact in Silverstone,

“Can we just already stop about this?” Verstappen. “Because we had so many f*cking questions about this. Its just ridiculous.” 

In general, the 26-year-old is not that aggressive with his answers. But once he gets irked up, he loses his temper.

Post Edited By:Somin Bhattacharjee

About the author

Pranay Bhagi

Pranay Bhagi

Pranay Bhagi is an F1 Journalist at the Sportsrush. He's been following the sport since 2010 and has been a Sebastian Vettel enthusiant since then. He started his F1 journalism journey two years ago and has written over 1300 articles. As an Aston Martin supporter, he hopes for Fernando Alonso to win the 3rd title. Apart from F1, anything with an engine and wheel intruiges him. In true petrolhead sense, he often travels across the country on his motorcycle.

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