Verstappen.com’s official Instagram account recently posted a throwback photo from the Dutchman’s childhood. In the photo, little Max Verstappen is sitting atop a mini Kawasaki Cagiva with his arms reaching the fuel tank.
The photo also features his father, Jos, who is sitting on a Kawasaki Ninja. The father-son duo pose on their red bikes posing for a photo which was taken during Jos’ time as an F1 driver. The handle captioned the post, “Back when Max considered MotoGP.”
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Incidentally, Max still holds motorbike racing close to his heart. He once admitted to regularly watching MotoGP, where he cheered for his favorite riders.
Among those is the legend, Marc Marquez himself, who sat down for an interview with the F1 sensation in 2022. In the interview, the Dutchman confessed his wish to ride a MotoGP bike one day.
However, he revealed that he wasn’t allowed to. The restriction comes from a clause in his contract with Red Bull. The said clause forbids him from engaging in activities that can endanger his life or health.
That same clause has come in the way of Max Verstappen from enjoying the thing he loves the most – motor racing. Despite being an F1 driver, he cannot get enough of the thrill. The reigning champion has often expressed his wish to race in different disciplines. However, he has to make do with sim racing for the time being.
Max Verstappen forced to turn down Fernando Alonso’s once-in-a-lifetime offer
Le Mans is right up there in the disciplines Max Verstappen is a fan of. He has often talked about his willingness to participate in one in the future. The 24-hour endurance race is one of the most challenging motor racing formats.
To Verstappen’s luck, Fernando Alonso, an experienced campaigner in the format, offered him a seat on his team. However, much to the disappointment of his fans, Verstappen turned down the offer. Alonso, being a 2-time Le Mans winner, would have been the perfect leader to introduce the 26-year-old to the endurance race.
Max Verstappen has revealed he has been speaking to Fernando Alonso about driving Le Mans together
Max: “I’ve been speaking to Fernando about it. He’s said he’d only want to do it again with me.”
What would your dream Le Mans driver line-up be? #HondaRacingThanksDay pic.twitter.com/aWLitIgOa9
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) December 3, 2023
Speaking at the annual Honda Thanks Day last year, Verstappen said, “If Fernando goes, he wants to challenge for the win in a competitive car. And I am exactly the same. That is also why I don’t want to rush the whole project, just because there are so many changes happening at the moment in endurance.”
The biggest reason holding him back, as we all know, is his Red Bull contract which will run out in 2028. As he has often reiterated, he has no intentions of staying in F1 for long. Assuming he hangs up his boots once his current contract concludes, fans might just see him darting through the grid in Le Mans.
