Is F1 champion Max Verstappen secretly British? Shock verdict delivered on Red Bull star

Verstappen with the British flag — Photo: © IMAGO

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Is Max Verstappen secretly British? Shock verdict delivered on F1 world champion

Red Bull star Max Verstappen hasn't always taken to British F1 media

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 14 August 2025 09:42 Updated: 11:44

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen is simply 'misunderstood' according to a renowned member of the British automotive media.

After making history as the youngest driver in the sport on his F1 debut in 2015, Verstappen picked up a reputation for his unforgiving attitude on track. 'Mad Max', as he was then dubbed, gained notoriety for his aggressive driving style, particularly against former rival Lewis Hamilton.

The British F1 legend infamously lost out to the Dutchman over a record-breaking eighth championship victory in 2021, with the events of the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP going down as some of the most controversial the sport has ever seen.

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A decade on from his debut, Verstappen has found himself in frequent feisty on-track battles with more British stars, including Lando Norris and George Russell, but questions have frequently been raised over the alleged bias of the UK's F1 media.

Verstappen himself once declared that he has 'the wrong passport' for F1, at times making light of the criticism he feels has been handed out to him unfairly due to his nationality.

But after a recent interview with the Dutchman, British automotive journalist Chris Harris has set the record straight about the champion's attitude, hinting he shares common traits with British folk: "The thing you need to know about Max Verstappen is that most people in the UK have got him wrong."

"Frankly he’s one of us. he’s a very uncomplicated man who happens to have been born with a set of skills to drive a racing car in a manner that none of us can really understand."

Max Verstappen gained a reputation for his feisty persona both on and off the track

'Mad Max' has matured, but will UK media reign in criticism?

The former Top Gear star went on to describe the honour it had been to join Verstappen at the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GTD, admitting that he felt the media had been harsh on the reigning champion.

"I have to say he was just super relaxed. He was a total joy to work with," Harris admitted.

"It's an absolute privilege to witness that level of skill that close up. I think it also reminded me that when people have judged Max, and he deserved to be judged at times, some of it was, you know, close to the bone at the beginning, we forget two things. He was so young and he was so inexperienced.

“He hadn't come up, he hadn't graduated through years and years of racing. I'm not sure he really knew a lot of what you could and couldn't do in armed combat in a car. He was just given a Formula 1 car at an age where most people are trying to do their GCSEs and told to go out and fight.

"He's effectively matured into young adulthood as a world champion in the full view of a very, very critical media."

The 50-year-old British journalist went on to reveal how he hopes the UK's F1 landscape can learn from his interactions with the Dutchman, perhaps taking a more measured approach to the Red Bull star in future.

"I hope that this disappointing UK view of Max changes a bit because you know what he does behind the wheel, he's a ruthless winner, he’s there to win, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad human being," Harris concluded.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Lando Norris George Russell Abu Dhabi GP