It looks like Max wants to be more than a driver, but a team owner, albeit only in GT3 at the moment. Alonso has his own team too, but it's in cycling !
I like Max. I do think the car is a significant piece. Especially now. Give Chuck a fast ride and to his liking and watch out. Carlos too, but hes doesn't have the pure speed. In a race that needs brains, sure.
Bold hypothesis : Just imagine Charles winning a WDC driving a Ferrari and beating fair and square this Max Verstappen.. Would be immense for his legacy.
Ferrari would need to field a car that's at least on par with the Red Bull regarding performance and reliability for him to have a chance. Anything less is simply not going to cut it.
Ferrari also needs a good strategist to undercut or overcut Max. Hannah Schmitz is no slouch with RedBull and she can go up against Mercedes anytime.
As always when your car is so dominant then this is easier to be a good strategist like her. 2021 indeed demonstrated her skills about strategy ( Abu Dhabi someone ?) If Ferrari managed to put some real pressure on Red Bull we would witness some strategical mistakes on their side I bet ..
Even when the car wasn't dominant, she has made some very good calls and has been somewhat consistent. She is human though and on a handful of occasions, she has made a mistake here and there.
So, Max was on holiday in Portugal, he was denied by staff at the car rental firm SIXT for being "too young" to drive a car that can do 195mph. The car you ask? A Mercedes AMG GT. Anyone been to or live in Portugal that know about laws or liability issues with regards to insurance? Did the staff even know who Max Verstappen is? Edit--->SIXT insurance company denies a car that quick to someone under 30 years old. Maybe they, the insurance company, should have a clause in the their policy "EXCEPT F1 DRIVERS CURRENTLY DRIVING IN F1."
Dtm teamboss on Verstappens GT3 drive: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I read Max was evaluating different cars (Ferrari, Porsche, etc ...) before deciding which one suits him best. This to start his GT3 team, which could be in association with an established outfit. Reading between the lines, it may be that he is preparing his post-F1 career already.
To be honest I appreciate more and more his statements about Formula One evolution. He’s very straightforward and honest when talking about the circus and overbooked calendar. A true racer.
F1 has become too complex like many other sports, IMO. Commercial interests have taken over many professional sports, now addicted to their funding. The cost of all that technology, and the multi-millions$ retainers come at a price. I cannot see any U-turn on that in future. F1 has become politicised like a government. I get more enjoyment following grassroots series, and there is still motorcycle racing.
Here is the full interview from above...really cool insight. Why Verstappen tested a Ferrari GT3 car for DTM team Emil Frey (autosport.com)
Max is such a racer that I would not be surprised at all to see him quit F1 as early as 2026 because the theatrics, the "show", the politics, the schedule, etc etc gets so out of hand that he loses the enjoyment. Plus I genuinely think he isn't afraid of any driver and enjoys beating them, so a spec series or at least more competition would be appealing to him. He already stated a desire to race Le Mans, he has done plenty of 24 hr races in the sim racing world. I would say enduro races is very likely for him. I would absolutely support it too. Even I think about watching less F1 because it keeps getting worse. Indy car, IMSA, WEC are often much more enjoyable to watch. I dont think Max needs to be a 7x champ to be considered the best F1 driver either.
