One of the things that comes instantly when an F1 driver becomes a world champion is fame, loads and loads of it. A recent example of this is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who is indisputably the most popular driver in the global motorsports scene today.

Not that he wasn’t popular before, but winning against Lewis Hamilton and in the way he did meant he will probably have fans in every country on the map. But his father Jos Verstappen seems to not be a fan of his son’s popularity in one particular country – Belgium.

In a recent interview, the former Benetton driver claimed, “Everyone wants a piece of Max at the moment.” 

“For example, in the eyes of some Belgian media, Max is suddenly a Belgian. I think that’s a bit weak,” Jos Verstappen said.  “We have been racing for years, but until a few months ago there was little or no writing about him in Belgium and now they suddenly claim that he is theirs.”

“I absolutely don’t see it that way myself.”

What is the nationality of Max Verstappen?

It won’t be wrong to assume that Max Verstappen is Dutch just by looking at the support he receives from the orange army. But that isn’t the case in reality.

This is because the Red Bull driver has dual nationalities, Dutch and Belgian. ‘Super Max’ was born in Belgium, the country where his mother is from. “The situation is that Max has both nationalities, because me and Sophie were married at the time he was born,” he said.

Jos Verstappen said his son “is slightly more Dutch than Belgian.”

Irrespective of whether he is Dutch or Belgian, now Max Verstappen has transcended a certain level of success and fame. He has earned everything he has through his talent, his dedication, and his grit.

Max Verstappen is a global icon. And icons don’t belong to one place.

Also Read: Former F1 Driver Bashes Hamilton-Verstappen Toxic Fanbases – “Motorsport is not like football