Max Verstappen’s latest fake accent is here and you are not ready for it

Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, generic, Red Bull, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Max Verstappen’s latest fake accent is here and you are not ready for it

He's not exactly Rory Bremner

Originally written by Chris Deeley. This version is a translation.

Thursday 19 February 2026 17:00

Max Verstappen’s talents appear to know no limits. From dominating in F1 machinery to hustling GT cars — and even mastering virtual circuits on iRacing — there seems to be very little the Dutchman cannot do.

Next on the list? Not another racing category, but accents. Many fans will remember the stories last year about Verstappen conducting GT3 testing under the alias ‘Franz Hermann’, but fresh footage has now added another layer to the tale.

The second installment of the New Ground documentary series has just dropped, and it includes a clip of Verstappen casually explaining to camera: “You can run under, like, a fake name.” What follows is a glimpse of the Red Bull star fully committing to the bit — accent and all.

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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'

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.

F1 Max Verstappen