“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.”

Max on media duties: I try not to really burn too much energy on it. I know it’s part of F1. I’d struggle a lot more if people asked new questions. But most of the time, I can already answer before I even hear the question… I just put my brain activity on 1% just so the time flies by a bit more.
byu/OutlandishnessPure2 informula1

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.

Glad I’m ok. Very disappointed with being taken out like this. The penalty given does not help us and doesn’t do justice to the dangerous move Lewis made on the track. Watching the celebrations while still in the hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior but we move on pic.twitter.com/iCrgyYWYkm

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) July 18, 2021

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.