Max Verstappen and Raymond Vermeulen go as far back as the time the Dutchman made his F1 debut. Through thick and thin, Vermeulen has loyally stayed by his side. The relationship between the two has grown to the extent that the manager extraordinaire has refused to represent any other driver.
In a recent interview with the Formula 1 Magazine, Raymond said, “No. I am also very clear about that. I will continue to work exclusively for Max. I don’t have time for other things, I don’t have the energy for it.”
While Vermeulen’s exclusivity to Max stems from a deeper emotion of loyalty, exhaustion plays a role too. He revealed how a major part of his job involves negotiating with Red Bull. However, what consumes his energy on a daily basis is managing the commercial side of the brand that is Max Verstappen.
The relationship has reached a level where Raymond does not consider himself as just Max’s manager. Their bond has grown to the point that the duo considers each other family.
Max not the only Verstappen Raymond Vermeulen has worked with
Before devoting all his time to the 3-time world champion, Vermeulen represented his father Jos. The transaction goes both ways in this case, though.
Raymond’s son, Thierry, is a racer himself, and guess who is training him to reach the best he can? The man behind Max’s success- Jos Verstappen. Thierry is well aware of the expertise he has at his disposal. As per a 2021 interview on Verstappen.com, Thierry admitted, “Jos is the best coach you could wish for.”
Coaching Thierry is a whole different challenge for Jos, though. That is because of the discipline he races in. Thierry mostly competes in GT championships. The 21-year-old is currently competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).
Thierry holds Max in very high regard and has even referred to him as his inspiration. Max reciprocates the sentiment with his much-needed support. In fact, Verstappen.com Racing and Red Bull are among the biggest sponsors Thierry has in the DTM championship.
Last year, Verstappen, as quoted by his website, said, “This promotion to the DTM is a nice and challenging next step in Thierry’s GT career. After his first year in the GT3 class, in which he learned a lot, we chose to sign with Emil Frey Racing, a very professional team.” He added, “Thierry faces a challenging year, but I am confident he can continue to progress as he goes along and I wish him a lot of success and enjoyment.”
