In its anniversary year, FORMULE 1 Magazine closely followed Max Verstappen on his global journey across 24 stops. Eight editors and three columnists share their most notable, personal memory of him in 2024. This time, it’s the turn of editor-in-chief André Venema.
On a Saturday evening in Austin, Red Bull’s motorhome was almost empty when Max Verstappen hosted a small group of journalists for a Dutch-language press session. At these types of gatherings, he is generally quite relaxed and often more candid. Such a ‘press moment’ of ten minutes usually concludes his typical media obligations on a Saturday.
On a balmy autumn evening in October, I realized why Verstappen is probably so popular (not only in the Netherlands). There are few global stars, which he has become, evidenced by his cover story in Time Magazine last year, who are so averse to grandstanding, disdain, or suffering from an inflated ego. The question in Austin was whether he knew who Sting is, the eloquent Brit who has built an impressive discography with The Police and as a solo artist since the 70s. ‘Of course,’ said Verstappen, seemingly surprised by the question. He had politely shaken the singer’s hand when he presented him with the prize for winning the sprint race and had naturally taken a photo with him. Did he think Sting knew him? ‘He must… My name is on the suit.’
Dry humor, that is also Max Verstappen.
