Max Verstappen

Driver

Max

Verstappen

26 pts

Red Bull Racing

Nationality

Netherlands

Birthplace

Date of birth-

F1 debut

Max Verstappen, born on 30 September 1997 in Hasselt, is a Dutch Formula 1 driver who races for Red Bull Racing, with Isack Hadjar as his teammate in 2026. Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut in 2015 at the age of 17, becoming the youngest F1 driver ever. He has won four world championships, putting him level with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.

Max Verstappen in F1

Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut in 2015 at the age of 17 with Toro Rosso. In 2016, on the advice of Helmut Marko, he was promoted to sister team Red Bull Racing. That immediately proved to be a masterstroke. Verstappen won his very first race for the team, the Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the youngest race winner in Formula 1 history at 18 years and 228 days old.

Max Verstappen in 2026

Verstappen will also race for Red Bull Racing in 2026, the team he has been with since 2016. It will, however, be a very different start to the season from what the Dutchman has been used to. For the first time, Verstappen will begin a Formula 1 season without Christian Horner and Helmut Marko by his side. He will also have a new teammate in Isack Hadjar, who takes over from Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen also says goodbye to the number 1, now taken by Lando Norris. Instead of returning to #33, he takes over #3 from Daniel Ricciardo.

The biggest change, however, will be the car. In 2026, the Formula 1 regulations are being completely overhauled, with both a new chassis and a new power unit. Formula 1 officially revealed what the new cars will look like in December 2025. The new F1 car is lighter, has less downforce, less drag and a higher top speed. The power unit uses a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electric power, while sustainable fuel will also be introduced and the hybrid system has been simplified. Red Bull has worked together with Ford on the new power unit.

The new regulations mean everyone starts from scratch, which should give Hadjar a solid starting point alongside Verstappen. Whether Red Bull Racing can fight for world titles with the new car and the new line-up remains to be seen.

Difficult start to the 2026 F1 season

Verstappen immediately found himself in trouble in Australia. The Red Bull Racing driver crashed in qualifying due to a problem with his car, forcing him to start from P20. He eventually recovered to P6 in the race. Even so, he was far from happy with the way things unfolded. According to the Dutchman, there were “Mario Kart-like things” happening during his recovery drive.

The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix was another difficult weekend for Verstappen. He struggled with a lack of grip and balance throughout, which left him uncompetitive. In the sprint race, he finished outside the points after a poor start and ongoing issues with the car. The main race was no better. Red Bull lacked pace and strategy could not make the difference. Verstappen eventually retired with a technical issue, a cooling leak, while running outside the top positions. Kimi Antonelli won the race, while Verstappen lost more valuable points in the championship.

The Japanese Grand Prix was also disappointing for Verstappen. He endured another difficult weekend, with qualifying ending around P11 due to continued balance problems with his Red Bull. In the race, he could barely move forward and got stuck in midfield battles. He eventually finished only eighth, a long way off the front. Mercedes again dominated, with Antonelli taking another win. Verstappen looked frustrated and admitted the season had started in a difficult way. His gap in the championship increased further.

Max Verstappen in 2025

Unlike the year before, Verstappen and Red Bull did not begin the 2025 season as the main favourites. That role belonged to McLaren, with Lando Norris in particular tipped as a serious contender. Oscar Piastri, however, soon showed his class and gained the upper hand over Norris. Verstappen managed to win twice in 2025, in Japan and Imola, but he was not seen as the favourite for either race. After disappointing weekends in Monaco and Spain, where he was heavily penalised for a controversial incident with George Russell, Verstappen saw his gap to Piastri grow to 49 points. In Canada, the Dutchman hit back by finishing second behind Russell, with whom he again clashed, this time behind the safety car, while Piastri finished outside the top three and Norris threw away his race by hitting his teammate.

Verstappen then went through a run of difficult weekends in which highs and lows followed each other. At the Red Bull Ring, he retired early after starting seventh because of a braking error by Antonelli, which cleared the way for McLaren and a Norris win. At Silverstone, he shone with pole on a drying track, but in the wet race the RB21 was not competitive enough and, after a spin, he had to settle for P5. In Belgium, he won the sprint race with a strong move on Piastri, but in the main race he got stuck behind Leclerc and finished fourth, frustrated by the FIA’s late start procedure, which made his wet-weather set-up useless.

Monza proved to be the turning point for Verstappen. He took pole position with the fastest lap in Formula 1 history and then controlled the rest of the weekend to take his third win of the season. With a margin of almost twenty seconds over Norris, he underlined his dominance. Verstappen then also won convincingly in Baku, before taking an unexpected second place in Singapore, a circuit that has traditionally not suited Red Bull. In Austin, he took his third win in four races. The Mexico weekend was difficult, but Verstappen still managed to surprise by taking a podium finish and closing in on the championship leader.

Verstappen made the most of McLaren’s strategic mistake at the Qatar Grand Prix. Because of the rule limiting tyre stints to 25 laps, almost the entire field pitted during the safety car. Norris and Piastri stayed out, which gave Verstappen, who was third at the time, a free run to the lead. He did not let that chance slip and took a convincing victory. That left him only twelve points behind Norris.

Verstappen drove a dominant Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, controlling the race from pole position throughout. Although Norris lined up alongside him, the Brit immediately lost a place to Piastri. For a while it looked as if Verstappen might still take a fifth world title, but as the race went on it became clear McLaren had enough in hand to secure the championship. Verstappen won the race, but Norris became world champion for the first time.

Verstappen stays with Red Bull in 2026

On 31 July 2025, ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen confirmed he would stay with Red Bull Racing for 2026. That did not come as a big surprise, although there was still speculation about a move to Mercedes. Verstappen will use the first year under the new rules to see how the teams compare before deciding whether to see out his Red Bull contract through 2028.

Max Verstappen, four-time world champion

In 2021, Max Verstappen won his first Formula 1 world title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, becoming the first Dutch driver ever to win the championship. In 2022, he secured his second title at the Japanese Grand Prix. The 2023 season turned into a year of total dominance. Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races and sealed his third world title with six races to spare, matching Michael Schumacher’s 2002 record.

Where Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc challenged Verstappen in the early races of 2022, there was no such challenge in 2023. Red Bull Racing produced an exceptionally dominant car, the Adrian Newey-designed RB19. That combination of driver, car and team proved almost unbeatable and brought Verstappen 19 wins. The Dutchman also broke a major record in Italy, where he took his tenth consecutive victory, surpassing Sebastian Vettel.

Verstappen sealed his third world title in the sprint race in Qatar, with six Grands Prix still to go. Red Bull Racing won the constructors’ title in Japan, where Verstappen also won the race. He then continued his winning streak with victories in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. No rival finished ahead of him in the rest of the season. He broke his own record for the most wins in a season, increasing it from fifteen in 2022 to nineteen in 2023.

The Hungarian Grand Prix was one of Red Bull’s low points in 2024, but after the Italian Grand Prix in Monza the team finally admitted it needed to go back to the drawing board. Updates introduced in Austin proved crucial to the progress the Austrian team made in the rest of the season. In Brazil, Verstappen won from P17 in the rain, a drive many regard as his finest ever. It was at Interlagos that he dealt the decisive blow to Lando Norris, who started from pole but could only finish sixth. In the following race in Las Vegas, Verstappen looked on course for a podium, but tyre degradation meant he had to give way to Mercedes and Ferrari. He finished fifth, but still ahead of Norris, which was enough to secure his fourth world title.

Verstappen fights his way back into the 2025 title battle

Early in the 2025 season, it became clear that Verstappen and Red Bull would struggle to beat Norris and Piastri in the McLaren. After the Dutch Grand Prix, he was 104 points behind championship leader Piastri. While some fans kept believing in his title chances, many F1 analysts had already written him off. That changed after McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas. Verstappen’s win there moved him much closer in the standings and suddenly the title dream was alive again.

Verstappen travelled to Abu Dhabi for the 2025 season finale just twelve points behind Norris. That was remarkable, considering he had trailed by 104 points after the Dutch Grand Prix. It was always going to be difficult, but not impossible, for Verstappen to win a fifth straight world title in Abu Dhabi. Norris only needed a podium finish to make sure of the title, regardless of what Verstappen did. Although Verstappen won convincingly in Abu Dhabi, Norris became world champion. Ferrari and Mercedes failed to get past Norris, and his third place was just enough to seal his first title. Verstappen ultimately fell short by only two points, missing out on a fifth crown but completing a remarkable comeback.

Max Verstappen and the departure of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko

In July 2025, it was announced that Christian Horner had been dismissed by Red Bull Racing. The team principal had worked closely with Max Verstappen for years and played a major role in his success with the team. Laurent Mekies was appointed as his replacement. Horner had been in charge since 2005 and led the team to multiple world titles.

At the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Verstappen also had to say goodbye to another key figure: Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko. The Austrian played a decisive role in Verstappen’s Formula 1 career. It was Marko who brought the Dutchman into the Red Bull Junior Team in 2014. He was also largely responsible for Verstappen’s debut with Toro Rosso in 2015 and Red Bull in 2016. For a long time, Verstappen even had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave immediately if Marko was dismissed. Marko decided to leave the team at the age of 82.

Max Verstappen to Mercedes?

After Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was announced, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suddenly had to find a replacement for the seven-time world champion in 2024. He made no secret of his desire to sign Verstappen and openly hinted at a possible partnership, much to the annoyance of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Wolff eagerly tried to take advantage of the unrest at Red Bull, from the issues surrounding Horner and departing staff to the disappointing performance of the RB20. Verstappen decided to stay loyal to Red Bull, and Wolff ended his pursuit in the summer. He then turned his attention to young Italian talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Kelly Piquet, Max Verstappen’s girlfriend

Kelly Piquet is Max Verstappen’s girlfriend and the daughter of three-time Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet. She was born on 7 December 1988 in Homburg, Germany, but is Brazilian. She has two daughters: Penelope, with former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat, and Lily, her first daughter with Max. Verstappen has a close bond with Penelope as her bonus dad. Kelly is often seen alongside Verstappen during race weekends. She works as a model, influencer and columnist and has a major presence on social media.

Is Max Verstappen married?

Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet have been together since 2020, but they are not married. The Red Bull Racing driver has also not proposed, so the two are not engaged either. A wedding therefore does not appear to be on the cards for now, although Verstappen has not ruled out getting down on one knee in the future.

At the end of December, images surfaced of Verstappen and Kelly attending the wedding of her brother, Nelson Piquet Jr. Kelly’s failure to catch the bridal bouquet, traditionally said to signal who will be next to marry, led to laughter from Verstappen. After the wedding, the Dutchman stayed in Brazil for Christmas with his in-laws, including Kelly’s father, Formula 1 legend Nelson Piquet.

Kelly Piquet is not Verstappen’s first girlfriend. Read here which girlfriends Verstappen had before his relationship with Kelly.

Do Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet live together?

Yes, Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet live together, along with daughters Lily and Penelope. The family has three cats, Jimmy, Sassy and Donatello, and a dachshund called Nino.

Max Verstappen’s move with his family

During the closing stages of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Max Verstappen was also busy away from the track. The Dutchman was in the middle of a move, as Kelly Piquet revealed. Verstappen lived in an apartment in Monaco for a long time, but after the birth of daughter Lily he appears to have found a new place. It is not currently known exactly where the couple has moved to. In the summer of 2025, there were suggestions that the couple had bought land in Portugal, but this remains unconfirmed. It is entirely possible that they have simply bought another home in Monaco, with any land in Portugal intended as a holiday destination.

Does Max Verstappen have children?

Max Verstappen became the father of daughter Lily at the end of April 2025, following the birth of his child with Kelly Piquet. In December 2024, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together. Verstappen also has a close relationship with Kelly’s daughter Penelope. He is the bonus dad of ‘P’, as he affectionately calls her, while she often calls him ‘Maxie’ or ‘Mashy’.

Max Verstappen age, nationality and height

Verstappen was born on 30 September 1997 in Hasselt. He is 28 years old. Verstappen is 1.81 metres tall and weighs 72 kilograms. Although he holds both Dutch and Belgian nationality, Verstappen has said he feels mainly Dutch. He therefore races under the Dutch flag in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen salary and net worth

Verstappen is one of the highest-paid Formula 1 drivers on the grid. In 2023, he was already by far the best-paid driver in the sport, with an annual salary of almost €60 million. That earned him 22nd place on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. In 2024, Dutch magazine Quote 500 estimated Verstappen’s net worth at around €210 million, ranking him 322nd on the list. In 2025, the same publication named him Formula 1’s highest earner with a salary of 76 million US dollars.

Max Verstappen’s private jet

Since 2020, Max Verstappen has owned a private jet. He bought a Falcon 900EX and had it finished in his chosen colours, anthracite and orange, complete with his lion logo. At the start of 2025, the four-time world champion opted for an upgrade. He traded in his first jet for a Dassault Falcon 8X, with an estimated value of €50 to €55 million.

The new aircraft can cover a much greater distance without refuelling, around 12,000 kilometres non-stop, compared to 7,800 kilometres for his first jet. Verstappen kept the same livery as before: anthracite and orange, with the orange lion logo on the tail. The aircraft is registered as PH-UTL, a reference to his slogan: Unleash the Lion. If you want to know where Verstappen is, the plane can be tracked here.

Max Verstappen’s luxury yacht

His new private jet is not the only luxury purchase Verstappen made after winning his fourth world title. Since early 2025, he has also owned a luxury yacht, a Super Sport 33 from the Mangusta range. His superyacht was also given the name ‘Unleash the Lion’. The vessel can accommodate up to twelve guests in five cabins. A crew of up to five has access to three crew cabins. It is not known how much Verstappen paid for the yacht, but the cheapest similar model is on sale for €12 million.

Team Redline | Max Verstappen’s sim racing team

Team Redline is Max Verstappen’s sim racing team. The Dutchman actively takes part in sim races organised by iRacing, even during the Formula 1 season. In the past, McLaren driver Lando Norris was also part of the team, with the two regularly competing together in virtual races, including the virtual 24 Hours of Spa.

Max Verstappen records

Verstappen broke one record after another during his dominant 2023 season. He bettered his own record for the most wins in a season, set at fifteen in 2022, by winning nineteen Grands Prix in 2023. In Monza, he took his tenth straight win, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record. He also surpassed Alberto Ascari’s 1952 mark by recording the highest win percentage ever at 86.36%.

Max Verstappen in karting

From the age of four, Max Verstappen dominated the karting world, winning across multiple classes and championships, including the WSK Euro Series and WSK World Series. Despite a few setbacks, he won the CIK-FIA European titles in 2013 before stepping up to car racing in 2014. After strong performances in the Florida Winter Series and the European Formula 3 Championship, he was signed by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. At just 16, Verstappen first got behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in 2014. During FP1 for the Japanese Grand Prix, and later in Austin and Brazil, he immediately impressed in the Toro Rosso. Only a few months later, he lined up for his first Grand Prix with Red Bull’s sister team.

Max Verstappen’s parents and sister

Former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen is Max’s father. He was born on 4 March 1972 in Montfort, the Netherlands. Jos had a successful motorsport career, driving for teams including Benetton alongside Michael Schumacher. He played a crucial role in his son’s career and remains one of Max’s main support figures.

Sophie Kumpen is Max’s mother. She comes from a family heavily involved in motorsport, with both her father and brother active in karting. Although she was a successful karting driver herself in her youth, she is now best known as Max’s mother and one of his earliest supporters. Max also has a younger sister, Victoria, who has two sons and a daughter.

Verstappen.com Racing

Verstappen has his own racing team, Verstappen.com Racing. The team is active both in sim racing and in real-world motorsport. In sim racing, that is done together with Team Redline, for which Verstappen also competes himself. In 2023, it was announced that Team Redline had entered into a partnership with Red Bull Racing.

Verstappen.com Racing is also active in real-life competition. Father Jos Verstappen competes in rallying for the team, while Thierry Vermeulen, the son of manager Raymond Vermeulen, races for Verstappen’s team in DTM.

Verstappen has recently also become active as a driver for his own team. In 2025, he obtained a special licence that allows him to race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. In September, Verstappen took part in the ninth race of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie and won it together with teammate Chris Lulham. Verstappen dreams of racing in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and there is a strong chance he will do so in 2026. The organisers appear willing to adjust the calendar around his Formula 1 commitments where possible.

Max Verstappen’s Aston Martin Valkyrie

In 2023, Verstappen drove the RB19, designed by Adrian Newey and perhaps the best Formula 1 car ever. In 2024, he drove the RB20, an evolution of that car, followed by the RB21 in 2025. Away from Formula 1, Verstappen also owns a car designed by Newey: the Aston Martin Valkyrie. He received the hypercar as a gift from Aston Martin when the brand was still Red Bull’s title sponsor.

Max Verstappen grandstand at Zandvoort

During the Formula 1 weekend at Zandvoort, the entire circuit effectively turns into a Max Verstappen grandstand. There is no single stand reserved only for Verstappen fans. Instead, all grandstands and banks of the circuit turn orange thanks to the huge presence of the Orange Army.

Max Verstappen F1 news today

Stay up to date with the latest news about Max Verstappen and his team Red Bull Racing on this page. From official announcements and on-track performance to preparations and activities away from the Formula 1 season, you can read it all first on GPblog.com.

F1 Standings

Season

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	100
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	80
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	63
4	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	51
5	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	49
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	43
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	26
8	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	16
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	10
11	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	5
12	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
13	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	4
15	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	1
17	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	1
18	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0