When given a chance to interview a four-time Formula 1 World Champion, what I really wanted to know was what makes him tick. In some ways, it was easier than expected because Max Verstappen doesn’t mince words. Neither is he one for small talk. Like his persona on the grid, in person, he is to the point, precise and unsentimental. Don’t get me wrong — he is not sullen nor tight-lipped; on the contrary, he is relaxed and in good spirits on the day. But this is a man who has spent the better part of his career and life chasing lap times and counting down tenths of a second. So there is a certain economy to the way he uses his words and his time.

From childhood, much of his time and energy have been focused on one sole adventure — racing. First in karts, where he won the Belgian Championship in the Mini category at the grand old age of seven years old, onto the super competitive FIA Formula 3 European Championship at 16, and then finally, on the most coveted grid of them all, Formula 1, where he emerged as its youngest race winner when he won the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona by a whisker 0.616 seconds and at all of 18 years old. Remarkably, it was also his maiden drive for Red Bull Racing after being promoted from Toro Rosso, the junior team for Red Bull. It was an incredible feat at one of the F1’s more challenging tracks, one that he has repeated thrice over the subsequent years. To date, Verstappen still holds the record for being the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix and lift the Formula 1 Championship trophy.

Max Verstappen in action during the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where he secured victory on his first race weekend with Red Bull Racing. Image Credit: Rushton Photography via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

“My dream was always to race in Formula 1 and be on the podium, win races, win championships,” the Dutch driver shares. “And having won four, of course, it’s been way better than I ever imagined it to be.”

The bonds forged by time

As a child growing up in Maaseik, racing was always on the cards. In fact, it is quite literally in his blood. His father is Jos Verstappen, the Netherland’s most famous racer other than Max Verstappen himself; his mother is former Belgian kart racer Sophie Kumpen. He took his first drive at four years old and went on to spend the next 25 years of his life on the track. Going by Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule, which roughly translates to 10 years, Verstappen has done more than twice the time. No wonder he is a four-time Formula 1 World Champion.

“I have always enjoyed racing, and my friends all went go-karting,” he recounts. “For me, that was basically perfect… I was doing what I loved with, of course, my best friends as well.”

Living life in the first lane has instilled in Verstappen a deep sense of loyalty. Friendships and family rank high among the priorities for the Red Bull driver. He is known to be fiercely protective of his inner circle — his mechanics, engineers and longtime team members — the people he often refers to as his Red Bull family.

2026 marks his 12th season with Red Bull Racing

It’s a bond forged over more than a decade from the time he was 18. As he puts it, “Being in the team with Red Bull is like being with my second family. I am starting my 12th season with the team. It’s been a long time, and I’ve really enjoyed it a lot. It is also something that I would like to continue for a long time.”

Last year, the 28-year-old started his own family with partner Kelly Piquet and became a father, an experience that has changed his life. “Having a baby and the patience that comes with it — yeah, that has been the biggest achievement on a personal level,” he muses, perfectly summing up the rite of passage of new fathers everywhere. “I still love what I do in terms of racing, but at the same time, I also really look forward to going home and spending time there as much as I can,” Verstappen adds.

Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet following the arrival of their daughter. Image: @motorsportcom on Instagram

Fatherhood, of course, brings its own challenges — even for a Formula 1 Champion. He laughs, “It means having to deal with her growing up, crawling and going all over the place, and just keeping her under control!”

It might be early days yet, but will we see his daughter on the grid one day?

“I hope not!” comes the swift reply. “But at the end of the day, she has to do what she loves.” He relents, “If that’s racing, then I’m sure I’ll do everything I can in my power to help her. I just want her to choose whatever she likes.”

From start to finish

“When I started racing, it was because I loved it,” he says simply. More than 20 years later, it remains his first love, challenges and setbacks notwithstanding. “It’s important to make mistakes and learn from them. Things don’t always go well without any setbacks; that’s not how it works on the track. It’s never a straight line.”

Despite a glowing record, Verstappen has had his share of disappointments.

November 2013, Bahrain. He had dominated the go-kart season with an unprecedented grand slam win of three major CIK-FIA titles earlier that year. There was just one last race to go for the last championship of the year, the CIK-FIA KF World Championship. Everyone expected him to win; Verstappen expected to win. But a collision with Danish driver Nicklas Nelsen in the eighth lap of the final race sent things horribly awry, and Verstappen skidded from first to third place overall.

“Missing out on a world championship that was pretty much guaranteed… that was very painful at the time,” he admits, the memory still fresh. Verstappen was just 15 at the time.

2018, Formula 1. Three years on the grid and no longer a rookie. By then, he had notched up two wins the year before, in addition to his historic win in 2016 at the Spanish Grand Prix, his first-ever race for Red Bull. But the year started off quite disastrously for the young driver, who was just 20 years old then. From heavy crashes to high speed collisions, it was a brutal season that lasted all the way from Melbourne GP in Australia to Monte Carlo in Monaco.

Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel battle for the lead during the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya — a race Verstappen would go on to win and become Formula 1’s youngest-ever Grand Prix winner. Image: Rushton Photography via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

“The 2018 season just didn’t really go to plan at the start,” he admits. “I was very disappointed with that.” But against all odds, he turned things around and finished the season with five consecutive podiums.

Steel is forged in fire, and Verstappen, post-2018, emerged a man unstoppable. In 2019 and 2020, he moved swiftly up the standings into third position overall. By 2021, he was ready to claim his place as world champion, ousting Lewis Hamilton. He held onto the title for the next three years, all the way till 2024, before relinquishing it to good friend Lando Norris last year.

Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo celebrate on the podium after the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, where Verstappen claimed victory and his second Formula 1 win. Image: Wikimedia Commons

If he could go back in time, would he have done anything differently? “Nothing,” he replied without hesitating. “It’s pretty boring, if I could go back in time knowing what I know now.” His focus is always on the present — and the prize. “I just adapt to the situation, to what is needed. And I am here to win. There are no compromises for that.”

It is an attitude that stays with him both on and off the grid. “My mindset is pretty much the same in a lot of things that I do, even outside Formula 1,” Verstappen says. “There’s no half work; I’m always very committed to something.”

He is clear about the challenges ahead in the new 2026 season, especially with the slew of changes currently implemented in Formula 1, including the controversial engine formula that requires a 50/50 split between internal combustion engine and electrical power in the cars. On his championship chances, he points out, “We are building our own power unit, which is insane and massive, and we had a very positive start in practice and preseason. But I think it’s a bit unrealistic to expect us to fight for wins right away.” Laughing, he quips, “That probably would not look good on the established manufacturers!”

Max Verstappen on the track at this year’s Shanghai Grand Prix

If Verstappen wins the championship title this year, he will share third spot with Juan Manuel Fangio on the overall tally board, with five championship titles each, behind only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, both with seven each. He is a top contender despite starting at the back of the grid at the Melbourne race, due to a crash in qualifying. In characteristic fashion, Verstappen fought fiercely and found his way back to finish sixth, up from 20th. With 23 races left to go, the odds are good.

But there’s more than a title at stake.

“When I started racing, it was because I loved it,” he says. “In the middle, it was all about trying to achieve the ultimate goal — winning. Then, you try to do all the things that you have achieved; you try to repeat it. But, at the same time, you have to try and keep it fun. That’s what is very important… for it to be fun, to stay in the sport.”

What does he want to do with the time he has? “I want to win,” he says flatly, confident, incredibly driven and very precise. A world champion.

As for what the future holds, he is ready. “For good times and the tough ones, too.”

Verstappen’s Monacos

Max Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, first in 2021, when he controlled the pace throughout all 78 laps and took a four-point lead over Hamilton, eventually leading to his championship win, and the second in 2023, when he famously survived a sudden downpour and a clip on the barriers on slick tires to finish over 27 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin.

Perhaps his first win at Monaco has to do with his “lucky charm,” the TAG Heuer Monaco Titan in ultra light titanium with a silver dial that was presented to him days before his win in 2021.

Max Verstappen celebrates with Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner after securing his first Formula 1 World Championship at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, wearing the TAG Heuer Monaco Titan in ultra light titanium with a silver dial. Image: AP Images

TAG Heuer Monaco Titan in ultra light titanium with a silver dial

At the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen received a bespoke TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton. The pièce unique was crafted out of sandblasted Grade 2 titanium and featured a blue skeletonized dial and a red number “1” on the hour counter and date wheel, referencing his race number, and two stars on the sapphire caseback, representing his 2021 and 2022 World Championship titles.

Max Verstappen prepares for the race weekend wearing the bespoke TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton, featuring a blue skeletonised dial and a red number “1” in tribute to his championship-winning race number

TAG Heuer Monaco Skeleton featured a blue skeletonized dial and a red number “1” on the hour counter and date wheel (Image: TAG Heuer, The Edge Magazine)

In 2024 and 2025, Verstappen wore the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph in black DLC-coated titanium. It was customized to feature additional stars on the hour counter as he notched more title wins, and a second minute counter featuring his lion emblem and his name. His number “1” in red is moved above the 1 o’clock position. Meanwhile, the words “World Champion Max Verstappen” are emblazoned on the rotor.

Max Verstappen celebrates his second-place finish on the podium at the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, wearing the TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph in black DLC-coated titanium. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The customized TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph features four stars on the hour counter, one for each of his title wins

“These watches are all special to me,” Verstappen says. “My dad has been incredibly invested in watches since he was a kid. I always saw it growing up; he was collecting vintage watches, new ones and special edition ones,” he adds. “That’s why I also started to get into it.”

His favorite TAG Heuer Monaco is still the one that marked his first championship and first win in Monaco. “It’s something very personal. Some watches have a very special meaning because of when you receive or buy it, because of a special stage in your life.”

Max Verstappen wears his customized TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph in black DLC-coated titanium

And it doesn’t get more special than Formula 1 Championship titles.