Thierry Vermeulen, son of Max Verstappen’s manager Raymond, has known the Red Bull driver since their childhood. They have shared special moments growing up together, and Thierry, in a recent interview, shared his first recollection of time spent with Verstappen.
Unfortunately for Thierry, it wasn’t a very happy memory, as it was of Verstappen destroying his birthday present. He said in an interview,
“My first memory with Max was when I was six. I had a remote-controlled F1 car. He’s like, ‘Can I give it a try’? I give it to him [and] five seconds later, it ended up in the water.”
Thierry: my first memory with max was when i was 6. i had a remote control F1 car. he’s like “Can I give it a try?”. I gave it to him: 5 seconds later it ended up in the water. that was my birthday present gone.
oh no pic.twitter.com/78EPrBWSFe
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) August 2, 2024
Verstappen, who was seated beside Thierry, simply laughed. That childhood mistake may have hurt the 22-year-old, but Verstappen is making amends for it now, by mentoring Thierry in his bid to become a reputed racing driver.
Verstappen had once said in an interview,
“I’m there to coach him [Thierry], I’m there to help him. He sees the data, he sees what I’m doing differently to him. It’s all about processing and learning”.
Currently competing in DTM, Thierry wants to make big strides in his motorsports career, and Verstappen has committed to being right there by his side. The Red Bull driver’s post-F1 plans include owning a team that will help youngsters like Thierry grow.
Verstappen’s childhood dream is to fully own a racing team
Verstappen is incredibly passionate about racing. So, most of his childhood dreams revolve around the same. Other than wanting to be an F1 champion (which he has already achieved), the Dutchman wants to launch his own racing team, without anyone else’s help.
Verstappen currently has ‘Verstappen.com’ labels on GT racing teams (including Thierry’s team Emil Frey in DTM). However, it is supported by Red Bull, which is why Verstappen does not feel like a complete owner. The 26-year-old says,
“You want to run your own team. Eventually, I would like to have Verstappen.com racing as a team. The target is to have fully your own team.”
Considering how determined Verstappen is in pursuing his ambition, it may not be long before he does launch his team. His current contract with Red Bull ends in 2028, and he may hang his boots after that season. Then, he will have ample time to fully focus on owning a team of his own.
