F1 star Max Verstappen reveals latest fake accent - you are NOT READY for this

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Max Verstappen reveals latest fake accent - you are NOT READY for this

Will the real Franz Hermann please stand up...

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Wednesday 18 February 2026 22:30

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Max Verstappen's talents know no bounds. From driving F1 cars to driving sports cars, to driving imaginary cars on iRacing, there's truly nothing he can't do.

Next on his list? No, not a different kind of racing. It's accents. You probably saw the stories last year about the Dutchman doing some GT3 testing under the name Franz Hermann last year, but some new footage has emerged this week.

The second part of the Viaplay documentary New Ground is now available, and it contains a clip of Verstappen explaining to camera: "You can run under, like, a fake name."

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It then cuts to a shot of the Red Bull star and some others on their way to the track, with Verstappen joking about his new identity and claiming that he'll be talking in a German accent to match his Franz Hermann identity for the day.

'As German as we can'

In the clip, Verstappen jokes: "Oh, but I actually have to talk with a German accent ja, because my name is Franz Hermann für ten dag [for the day]. Hermann Racing."

Off camera, a voice adds "Because nobody knows, right? Nobody knows you're here," to which Hermann/Verstappen jokes "Ja, genau [exactly]!"

Cutting back to the interview to camera, the four-time world champion continues: "Let's make it as German as we can! That's why it was Franz Hermann."

One mystery solved, and another handful just beginning. We know that Verstappen speaks Dutch, German, and English, with a little French sprinkled in, but how many accents can he actually pull off? Is 'Max Verstappen with a Turkmen accent' a step too far? Would Caribbean Max Verstappen be mildly culturally insensitive, or massively culturally insensitive? Will we ever hear Afrikaans Max Verstappen?

Watch. This. Space.

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