Home

F1

“Incredibly Down to Earth”: Max Verstappen’s Arrogant Image Shattered to Pieces With a Surprisingly Soft-Hearted Act

Published 02/17/2023, 12:40 PM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

When asked who’s the most serious driver on the grid, we can be sure that the majority of responses will have Max Verstappen as their answer, for one reason or another. But why the fun-loving and entertaining driver that we witnessed behind-the-scenes and during PR videos is taken as arrogant is beyond most of his hardcore fans’ understanding, who have only seen him being delightful.

The perception of Max as arrogant is so widespread that many fans fail to see him beyond his role as an aggressive and unforgiving racer. Many stories from his close associates have arguably failed to correct this inaccurate portrayal of the Red Bull driver. But a recent story featuring Matt and Tom from P1, who formerly used to be the stars of the WTF1 YouTube channel, can help Verstappen fans debunk the myth of the driver being rude or harsh.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Narrating the story featuring Tom, who got a bib signed for his baby by Max Verstappen, Matt said during a stream, “And honestly, for all of the bad things people say about Max and his driving and stuff as a person, and I’m not saying that just because he signed the onesie. I don’t care that he signed Thomas’s onesie, onesie, gracious onesie, but the fact that he was he genuinely took time out of his day to chat with us.”

“And it’s just so incredibly down to earth and a really nice guy. So I just wanted to say that for those of you that are like, oh, I wonder what Max is actually like when you speak to him. Really, really nice.”

Tom then went on to add, “It was awesome.”

Stories like these help us see a better side of the drivers, who are often portrayed as harsh by the media when they cite thing under an adrenaline rush.

Is Max Verstappen a good teammate?

All was well between Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez until an unfortunate clash between them in Sao Paulo during the Brazilian GP. Until then, they had been really tight with each other, with Max even planning a baby shower for his teammate before the Spanish GP.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Verstappen also gave Perez a small t-shirt, an eating bib, a pair of socks, and stickers in the Dutchman’s colors of orange and 33 after revealing the decorated room to him a few days before the race.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

WATCH THIS STORY: An Insight Into Lewis Hamilton’s Dating History

Apart from these moments, Verstappen has had great fan moments, such as a grandstand visit in 2017 in Barcelona. So, for someone who appears to be a serious guy, Max has a softhearted side as well.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Manan Goel

450Articles

One take at a time

Manan Goel is a Formula 1 author at EssentiallySports. As a literature student at Delhi University, he had been a geek for fiction and a nerd for sports. He claims Sebastian Vettel was his first love after seeing him at the Indian Grand Prix, and he has been a fan of the sport and Red Bull ever since.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh