By: There has been plenty of debate about a Formula 1 that is increasingly show and ever less sport, where drivers have adopted a polished, almost VIP-like image. Against that backdrop, Max Verstappen appears to be heading in the opposite direction. And certainly not because he belongs to the old guard: he has just turned 29.
Yet in his attitude and relationship with racing, he increasingly embodies the true racer: someone who wants to drive anything with four wheels, who steps out of an F1 car and into a kart or a GT, who speaks with few filters and continues to come across as authentic, direct and extremely honest. Even when it would be far easier to retreat behind the usual paddock answers.
He did so once again in a lengthy interview with The Fast and the Curious, discussing the future, the races he would like to contest outside Formula 1 and his relationship with younger drivers. Simple answers, without rehearsed lines or the near-obligatory caution that often accompanies other drivers' comments.
The most interesting subject is precisely racing beyond Formula 1. The 2027 calendar seemingly offers a few more opportunities, but Verstappen has already ruled out taking part in the Le Mans 24 Hours: «I can already say that it won't happen next year. It is not the right time for me to commit to a Le Mans programme. If I want to do it, I want to prepare really well and I don't have the time to do that».
If he is to race at Le Mans one day, he wants to arrive prepared to win. The prospect of seeing him at the Nürburgring again is far more concrete: «Having already done the Nordschleife, I think it is a great opportunity. And if there were a bit more time, doing Spa would be really fantastic».
After all, his schedule already perfectly illustrates just how much Verstappen has become an all-round racer. After Baku, Sepang and Singapore, three consecutive Grands Prix, Max will not use his first free weekend to rest: from 16 to 18 October, he will race at Portimão in the GT World Challenge Europe finale, driving the 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered under the Verstappen Racing banner. It will be his GTWC Europe debut, and he will also share the grid with Valentino Rossi. Then, just a week later, he will be back in the Red Bull at Austin.
That means racing for seven consecutive weekends across Formula 1 and GT3. There hardly seems any need for another definition to explain Verstappen's relationship with motorsport today: when he can race, he races.
But perhaps the best part of the interview comes when he is reminded of what Franco Colapinto had said. The Argentine, who is not going through a happy period in his F1 experience, had spoken about Verstappen's availability towards younger drivers, highlighting Max's willingness to talk to and help them.
His response is probably one of the clearest snapshots of Verstappen today: «I think that is just how I am by nature. If people ask me questions, I don't hide things, I am quite an open book. I appreciate it when people are kind to me and when they respect me, I respect them».
The boy who arrived in Formula 1 at a very young age, aggressive and often divisive, has now become a reference point for the new generation too. Not because he has artificially taken on the role of veteran, but because he continues to act according to a very simple principle: racing and respect always remain his reference points.
The same transparency emerges when he is asked what advantage he might have at Sepang over the many drivers who have never raced there. Verstappen, winner of the last race held in Malaysia in 2017, immediately dismisses the notion: today, everyone works so much in the simulator that a top-level driver needs only a few laps to adapt. «I don't really see it as an advantage». After all, only 10 drivers on the current grid have raced at Sepang before.
Even when discussing his most difficult season in recent years, Verstappen does not seek out any special lines. After 15 rounds, he has yet to win a Grand Prix in 2026, despite consistently returning to the front with a string of podiums and second place in Baku.
«I really hope that we can at least manage to win one. It would be really nice to set that as a goal this year, because it has been a difficult start to the year. Being on the podium is nice, but obviously being in the middle is the best».
No bold declarations, no need to turn every answer into a carefully crafted message. He starts from pole tomorrow and will have more than one chance to achieve his goal.
