Max Verstappen's heroics prompt sly Lewis Hamilton F1 jibe

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Max Verstappen heroics prompt sly Lewis Hamilton jibe

Helmut Marko gives his take on the Dutchman's Nurburgring win

Chris Deeley

Wednesday 1 October 2025 18:58

F1 champion Max Verstappen picked up an extra drive over the weekend, stepping into a Ferrari GT3 car and absolutely dominating a field of NLS drivers at the Nurbergring.

That drive, and win for the team of Verstappen and new team-mate Chris Lulham, has been widely praised across the sport as an example of the Dutchman's love of racing and his competitive spirit.

However, one infamously cantankerous F1 figure took it a step further and used the brilliant drive to take a pointed swipe at Verstappen's rivals – appearing to single out one man in particular.

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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko called the race a 'very good sign' of the dedication his team's star has to the sport, poking at the alternative of going to 'some kind of fashion show'.

Marko: Verstappen move shows commitment

Marko told Viaplay: "Yes, it was impressive. And also the commitment he shows. And you know, the others all go to some kind of, I don't know, fashion show or something. And he goes to the Nordschleife. One of the toughest circuits we have.

"I think it's a very good sign how involved Max is in motorsport."

It's hard not to see that as a targeted jab at Lewis Hamilton, famously involved in the fashion world to the point of serving as a co-chair of the Met Gala at the start of this year, as well as acting as an ambassador for Lululemon and working with Tommy Hilfiger.

Naturally, new pictures of Max Verstappen modelling AlphaTauri clothes came out shortly after Marko's comments. We await his presumably forthcoming condemnation of that waste of his star driver's time, and his questions over Verstappen's commitment.

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