Identification
With the popularity of Formula 1 having significantly increased in recent seasons, even the reference figures of the category – such as the three-time world champion Max Verstappen – have started to become increasingly recognized and influential faces.
And so it is not surprising that Time included the champion Red Bull in the list of the 100 most influential people of 2023the third Formula 1 driver in history after Michael Schumacher in 2005 and Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
Max doesn’t get excited
“Let’s put it this way: I didn’t grow up with the dream of entering that top 100“, underlined Verstappen in the interview with Time, clarifying his priorities: “I think I was included a bit automatically because of the sport I play and the number of spectators. But I don’t wake up thinking I’m going to get on that list. What do I wake up for? For the track. I set the alarm in the morning for this.”
Verstappen then spoke about his relationships with his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and with Helmut Marko: “With GP I mostly talk via WhatsApp. We talk often, especially about the car or the simulator. Helmut, on the other hand, doesn’t like to write, he prefers to call. And we don’t always just talk about Formula 1.”
