Between all the important news, it’s easy to miss a few things. Don’t worry, F1Maximaal.nl will keep you informed of all the sense and nonsense from the world of Formula 1 in the Meanwhile in F1 section.
Hamilton visits school in Kuala Lumpur between races
Lewis Hamilton visited a school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to see the work of sponsor Petronas. Petronas supports various projects regarding biodiversity and the future of sustainability, things that perfectly fit the interests of the seven-time world champion.
Verstappen’s reaction speed is being tested
Max Verstappen had to demonstrate how quickly he could catch a ruler for a video from Red Bull Racing, after colleague Sergio Pérez had already done so. The number of centimeters where the drivers caught the ruler determined. The Mexican was very fast, he grabbed the ruler at the bottom. Verstappen grabbed the ruler a little later.
Verstappen speaks a nice word of French: ‘Je m’appelle frikandel’
During a recent livestream with his sim racing team Team Redline, Max Verstappen was asked whether the Dutchman can also speak a word of French. “Yes, of course,” the three-time world champion immediately replied in French. “Je m’appelle frikandel,” Verstappen immediately joked.
Exactly nine years ago, Verstappen made his F1 debut
On March 15, 2015, exactly nine years ago today, Max Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut during the Australian Grand Prix. The Dutchman became the youngest F1 debutant ever when he took a seat in the Toro Rosso car at the age of 17. However, Verstappen did not have a very good start to his later extremely successful Formula 1 career and had to end his race early due to engine problems. Verstappen.com looks back on Verstappen’s debut in a new tweet.
Verstappen interviews four Britons in sketch: ‘Why is Russell running for his life?’
Lollipopmancomics makes sketches of Formula 1 races on Instagram. Max Verstappen had already finished for a long time, and watched from the sidelines as four Britons drove in succession: George Russell, Oliver Bearman, Lando Norris, and Lewis Hamilton finished in places six to nine. A good time for a lame joke about the newcomer!
Verstappen with special hat in Japan weekend
Max Verstappen has shared a new hat with the world. The Japanese Grand Prix is ​​already on the calendar this year in the spring, and will be the fourth meeting of the season after the race in Australia. Verstappen already won the world title in Honda’s home country in 2022, and also ruled in 2023. The Limburger will use a white and red cap during the Japanese weekend, the colors of both Honda and Japan.
Verstappen explains how to drive a lap around Portimão
In a new video from the official Instagram channel of his sim racing team Team Redline, Max Verstappen explains how to drive a lap in the rain on the Portuguese circuit Portimão. The Dutch world champion misses the apex once during his round.
Bottas is cycling towards spring
Valtteri Bottas loves to get on his bike outside the Formula 1 circuits, and did so again before the Finn travels to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. According to the Sauber driver, ‘the European length is in the air’ as he cycles around Monaco.
Chaos everywhere: Verstappen explains RB20 in football terms and plays with cat
Max Verstappen is often involved in sim racing outside the Grand Prix weekends, and this is regularly streamed. The Dutchman was playing with the cat between races – although the love was not mutual – and talked about the team’s ‘scoring centre-back’.
Pérez cannot solve ‘own’ anagram and comes up with a special answer
Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez received a number of anagrams from Red Bull Racing, in which the letters of the names of different drivers from the current F1 field are mixed up. Both drivers are tasked with guessing the correct name. The letters of the names of Verstappen and Pérez were also mixed up, but Pérez had a lot of difficulty guessing his own name, the Mexican came up with a very special answer.
Verstappen learns Arabic from F1 Academy driver: ‘I’m going to tell GP that’
Last weekend the F1 circus descended on Saudi Arabia, providing Red Bull Racing with a great opportunity to teach Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez Arabic. The gentlemen were helped by Hamda Al Qubaisi, who is supported by the Austrian racing team in the F1 Academy. The video on Red Bull’s YouTube channel shows that both men took the 21-year-old’s tips quite well, but not every statement met with Al Qubaisi’s approval.
Former driver Frentzen responds to Massa’s lawsuit
Former Formula 1 driver Heinz Harald Frentzen has spoken out on X about the case that Felipe Massa, also a former driver, is bringing against Formula 1, the FIA, and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. The German’s joking tone suggests that he does not really agree with Massa.
Piastri comes with a special helmet for the home race
For Oscar Piastri, the Australian Grand Prix, where the third race of the season is scheduled for in a week and a half, is a very special race. It is the McLaren driver’s home race and that is why the talent wanted to do something special. In Melbourne, Piastri will ride with a new helmet design, which includes several references to his native country.
Verstappen cracks computer game during sim race with Team Redline
We all know by now that Max Verstappen also likes to race behind the computer, and shortly after the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, the Dutchman was busy with his sim racing team, Team Redline. However, the virtual race had not yet started when Verstappen discovered a very strange mistake: ‘I am still on normal tires!’ During the game it was raining cats and dogs, but without rain tires Verstappen would not have gotten far. One of his teammates joked that he had cracked the game single-handedly, although they wouldn’t mind letting the Dutch Formula 1 champion start behind.
