Whenever his own match schedule allows, Joey Veerman never misses a Formula 1 race. The PSV midfielder started following the sport due to Max Verstappen‘s successes. He admits it took a while for him to become truly enthusiastic. “The first race I watched on TV was in Zandvoort, and I didn’t find it interesting at all,” he confesses. An open-hearted conversation follows.
The interview takes place at De Herdgang, PSV’s modern training complex. As Joey Veerman (27) arrives at the restaurant, his eye immediately catches the miniature helmet of Max Verstappen on the table. “Hey, that’s a nice little thing. That’s something different. Can I have it?”
In a life where the ball usually takes center stage, a conversation about cars and Formula 1 is a welcome diversion for Veerman, where he – as usual – speaks his mind. “I just bought a new car last week,” he begins enthusiastically. “A Porsche. I do like speed, yes.” Laughing, he adds, “Now I have to be careful with what I say, but you could best describe me as a sporty driver. I usually drive a bit faster than average, but I always make sure it stays safe.”
‘Viaplay Guys Explain It Well’
Veerman has been a loyal Formula 1 follower for several years. Apart from the free practices, the Volendam native watches everything. The qualifications on Saturday, the race on Sunday, and the analyses on Viaplay, before and after. “I don’t really care about the free practices, especially since you often see others participating. But I love watching the qualifications and races. If I can’t because I have to play football, I watch them later. At least the summaries. And I like the programs around it on Viaplay, those guys there explain it well.”
Interestingly, Joey Veerman only watched his first full Formula 1 race on TV in 2021. It was the return of Formula 1 to Zandvoort, during the pandemic. Until that moment, Veerman followed the sport – and especially Verstappen’s rise – only from a distance.
In the Garden
“I was comfortably lounging in the garden. Those days, everyone was talking about the Formula 1 in Zandvoort, and I thought to myself: let’s go and see it. What did I think of it? I found it incredibly boring. Yes, seriously. I told all my friends: I watched 73 laps and it was dull. That was also because it was not at all exciting and Max Verstappen was leading the whole time. The following season, I started watching races more often, began to understand it better, and only then did I really start to enjoy it.”
Last year, Veerman attended the Dutch GP as a guest of a sponsor, along with his teammates Guus Til, Jerdy Schouten, Mauro Júnior, and Joel Drommel. It was a great experience, but according to Veerman, Formula 1 is primarily a television sport. “I find that more enjoyable. You get a better grasp of the race, you know the differences between the competitors, and you hear what they say over the radio. In person, you do see the speed and the sound is amazing. But honestly, we were in that box in Zandvoort, and all you saw was that long straight stretch. I find it more enjoyable to follow it on TV at home.”
How do you watch it at home?
“I watch purely for my enjoyment. All those phrases, all that jargon, it goes over my head. Look, I know that the flap opens when he’s within a second of his predecessor and that he then has to accelerate. And I have a bit of understanding about tires and strategies, but I’m not a real expert.”
‘Norris Often Whining’
“How Max often overtakes, that’s beautiful. That’s why I like watching him. He makes Formula 1 exciting. When you see the second drivers of Red Bull, whether it was Sergio Perez or now Yuki Tsunoda, it’s a world of difference. It’s unbelievable how far behind Max they drive. I often have discussions, even within our team, when I say that Max is simply the best by far. Because he always puts that car at full throttle at the front and drives on the edge. Other guys can’t handle that. Lando Norris, for example, often whines because he finds it all too dangerous. But Norris was lucky that he had a faster car this year, otherwise he would never have become world champion. He became champion because of the car. And because Oscar Piastri has been underperforming lately and he received a few gifts from the team.”
How do you, as a top athlete, view the phenomenon of team orders?
“For drivers, that must be very annoying. I don’t believe Max would ever give up his position, like Piastri did earlier this season in Italy after a slow pit stop by Norris. And I wouldn’t do it either. Then let there be a fight. Get out of here!”
You talk about Formula 1 like a real fan?
“Yes, but that’s because I am one. And there are many of us in the Netherlands. I simply love watching Max Verstappen race. But if he’s leading by, say, 28 seconds, I might switch channels for a bit. I’ll still keep the Formula 1 on, but I’ll go play some football with my kid in the meantime. But I imagine it’s the same the other way around. If PSV is leading 6-0 and Max is watching, he’ll probably also do something else.”
You don’t know each other?
“No. I do know that Max is a PSV fan. And when we played in and against Monaco two years ago, there was no race. We had hoped that Max would come to watch the match. That would have been fun. But he wasn’t there. Maybe he couldn’t make it, or maybe he’s very modest and thought we weren’t expecting him. You know, I think it’s great to see that Max has always remained himself. That’s important, whether you’re earning millions or not. For me, that’s not a problem. Especially not at PSV. Everyone here is pretty down-to-earth.”
A Bit of a Chauvinist
Joey Veerman makes no secret of the fact that he started following Formula 1 mainly because of Max Verstappen.
“If he were some sort of soft cannon, I wouldn’t have watched. Look, I’m a bit of a chauvinist. When that other guy participated (referring to Nyck de Vries), I also hoped he would do well, but otherwise, I didn’t really care. But Max drives in a way that appeals. So, will I continue to watch Formula 1 if Max retires? To be honest, no, I don’t think so. For me, Max really makes the difference.
I follow him on TV and on Instagram. As an athlete, he simply appeals to me. I must tell you, I sometimes see a bit of myself in his interviews. Max is often politically correct, but you can hear from his cynical undertone that he totally disagrees. Then he somewhat holds back. But often enough, he also very clearly states what he really thinks. And then he gets the whole world on his back. I’ve experienced that on a smaller scale in the Netherlands quite often.”
Interviews with Max Verstappen are always entertaining to watch for this reason, as are the on-board radios. He always expresses his opinion, which I appreciate. I’m quite outspoken myself. I don’t like to beat around the bush. Good is good, bad is bad. And it’s okay to say so.
Dealing with Social Media
You just mentioned social media. Max tries to isolate himself from it as much as possible. How do you handle it?
“Isolation is, of course, very difficult. There are so many football sites and football talk shows these days. Everyone just says whatever they want. And everyone wants to be mentioned on those sites, so they often say the craziest things. I personally find that very annoying about football.”
Max always says: I just don’t read anything…
“Yes, that’s possible, but it’s difficult. You also have to deal with family and friends who do read everything. And then they ask me: have you read that? Yes, then you do take a look. I don’t like that. I’ve also told everyone: don’t forward that kind of stuff to me. Not when it’s bad, but also not when it’s good. I don’t need it. Moreover, if it’s good, they’ll say it’s crap just as easily a week later. And vice versa. It’s all so changeable.”
Children as a Distraction
Over the years, Max Verstappen has mastered the art of putting things into perspective. After a disappointing race, he can still board the plane home with a smile. Joey Veerman has also improved in this regard, he says.
“I’m no longer sick for days after a bad match. I have two children at home, Frenkie and Jame. When I come home, the oldest is already waiting for me to play football or play with me. The youngest is still a bit too small for that. But the children are a great distraction. And in football, we often play a match every three or four days. So you don’t have time to mourn. Yes, one day at most. That’s the advantage of a full playing schedule. You close off a bad match the next day at the club and then you move on.”
How much are you still involved with football at home? For example, do you play FIFA like Max Verstappen who can get back in the simulator to replay the weekend’s race?
“No, not anymore. I used to play it until about six years ago. I wasn’t good at it. I would throw controllers. I couldn’t handle my frustrations, so for that reason, I stopped. We had a Playseat at the club a few years ago, but I was absolutely terrible at it. It was all too fast for me. I would have to do it much more often to learn a bit, but there’s no time for that.”
Footballers, even more than F1 drivers, have to deal with busy schedules. Verstappen has speculated more than once about an early retirement from Formula 1 and mentioned the overcrowded schedule as a contributing factor. Veerman finds this a difficult decision to make.
Driving Rounds with Friends
“I don’t follow any other racing classes, so I have no idea if he could find satisfaction in them. Formula 1 is, of course, the pinnacle, and as an athlete, you always want to achieve the highest. Personally, I can’t imagine getting more satisfaction from a Dakar Rally than from Formula 1, but maybe it’s different for him.”
“I can understand that at some point, you’ve seen enough of the world, especially because you’re always in the spotlight and have a lot to deal with. Look, Max earns a good living. In football, it’s the same, and then you often get the discussion: ‘You earn a lot of money, so you should just shut up and everyone can have an opinion about you’. But that’s not how it works. Max probably feels the same way, and I understand him in that respect, that it’s super annoying. If you give Max the option: you get the same salary and you can drive rounds with your friends in Maastricht every week, he would sign for that, for sure. Because then he doesn’t have to travel the world and is free from everything else. But he races Formula 1 because it’s the highest achievable, not because of the money he earns or all the side issues.”
You probably also think about your life after football, whenever that may be. Can you imagine saying goodbye to the football life altogether?
“I can certainly imagine that. I don’t see myself returning as a coach. I’m a fan of the game, not of the world around it. I will also stay in the stadium. I enjoy that, the atmosphere. When I see all these former footballers who go on various TV programs and criticize everyone, no, I don’t see myself doing that later.”
