One could joke about how Max Verstappen races, eats, sleeps, and lives in Red Bull’s racing overalls or their official merchandise all the time. The Dutchman seldom wears casual or fashionable outfits as many other F1 drivers do.
So, when AlphaTauri announced that they are roping in Verstappen as their Global brand ambassador, it was natural that Lando Norris would have felt a tremor. AlphaTauri is a fashion and lifestyle brand owned by Red Bull itself.
So, it isn’t a shocker that they have signed the four-time world champion, who already has cordial ties with them. The surprising aspect was how Verstappen was wearing a non-Red Bull outfit while posing in front of an AlphaTauri-branded aircraft in the announcement picture.
With a black blazer and trousers, and a light brown sweatshirt inside, it may seem to some like AlphaTauri got an imposter to pose as Verstappen! Nevertheless, Norris commented on their post, summarizing the general reaction of the F1 fanbase upon seeing the Dutchman’s new look: “No way????”
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In fact, fitness blogger Lisa Migliorini also felt shocked upon seeing Verstappen without the Red Bull overalls. She cheekily congratulated AlphaTauri for making this seemingly impossible task happen. “Max without team racing kit!!! OMG, Well done @alphatauri”, she commented.
Even RacingNews365 joined in on the banter, highlighting how they felt “weird” after seeing Verstappen without the official race suit. The sentiments among the fans seem positive upon seeing the 27-year-old wear something cool and fashionable, and they may hope this is a change for the long term.
Is Verstappen opening up to being fashionable?
Verstappen has officially commented about his appointment as AlphaTauri’s global brand ambassador. While he finds their collection classy and fashionable, the Dutchman likes how AlphaTauri clothing is comfortable to wear with a good fit.
“There are other brands where it can look cool, but it‘s not comfortable to wear. With AlphaTauri, what I like is that it looks slick, it looks really stylish, and it‘s really great to wear,” he said to AlphaTauri’s website. So, as of now, it can be said that Verstappen still prioritizes comfort over fashion, which is the Italian brand’s core competency.
Currently, AlphaTauri has a partnership with Formula 1 in terms of providing clothing and apparel to all of the sport’s stakeholders. So, signing Verstappen, who is the reigning world champion, makes sense.
However, it is ironic how AlphaTauri had its own team in the sport when Red Bull renamed their sister team with the Italian lifestyle brand’s name from 2020 to 2023. But with the Faenza-based team hitting financial difficulties, Red Bull once again rebranded them to RB or Racing Bulls by bringing in two key sponsors — Visa and Cash App.
