Verstappen's manager sees his driver's energy dwindling

With 22 Grands Prix, it is fair to call it a long F1 calendar. Max Verstappen too has noticed that the busy schedule is starting to take its toll, according to his manager Raymond Vermeulen. The triple world champion does not like the fact that Las Vegas is scheduled so late in the season.

In Las Vegas, it is nine hours behind the Netherlands and eight hours behind the Red Bull factory in the UK. Next week, Formula 1 will race in Abu Dhabi. This is a challenge for the drivers, as time to rest and recover is almost non-existent. There are many marketing activities that the drivers are also expected to attend, especially in Las Vegas.

"I notice that Max's battery is almost empty," Vermeulen reveals to De Telegraaf. "Not only with him but with many people in the team. The travelling and the time difference naturally chops into it."

Verstappen does not like the 'show'

Verstappen is in Formula 1 to race and does not like everything that has little or nothing to do with it. That he was lifted onto a podium before the Grand Prix weekend and had to join teammate Sergio Perez in waving to fans did not go down well with the 26-year-old driver. Verstappen said he felt like a clown.

"Max is pure, is close to himself and says what he thinks. We should cherish it when someone of his stature speaks out like that. These are still all drivers and not actors. Max just feels very uncomfortable with things like this. I think also that many people, maybe not everyone, appreciate his level-headedness," manager Vermeulen said.