Max Verstappen will start his 250th Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend in Singapore, a milestone the four-time World Champion marked with an exclusive reader Q&A published by Formula1.com ahead of the street circuit race.
Asked which race taught him the biggest lesson across his 249 previous starts, Verstappen declined to single one out. “Life, I guess, is a lesson, your career as well, your races, good and bad. You learn from every single race, some a little bit more than others,” he said.
Fans frequently cited his 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix drive in near-zero visibility as a career highlight. Verstappen acknowledged its importance but pointed to an earlier wet-weather performance as even more demanding. “I had another race in Sao Paulo in 2016 that was probably even worse in terms of visibility at times,” he said, adding that the 2024 edition was “an insane race, and for me at the time, of course, a very important one to win.”
On fatherhood, Verstappen described the experience in straightforward terms. “Just spending time with her and seeing her grow, seeing that it’s your little girl. That’s definitely the best part of it,” he said.
When asked what legacy he hopes to leave, Verstappen kept the answer personal rather than statistical. “As long as people can remember me as just being honest, straightforward, and always being myself, not trying to act like a different person suddenly — for me, that’s the most important,” he said.
If given the chance to race any combination of track, car, and opponent, Verstappen chose Spa-Francorchamps, an early 2000s F1 car — specifically a 2004-specification machine — and his father, Jos Verstappen, as the opponent.
Off the track, Verstappen said padel has become an unexpected hobby. “I never really played any kind of racket sport before, so I didn’t know that that was on the horizon, but I enjoy it a lot,” he said. His favourite foods, he confirmed, are tomato soup and beef carpaccio.
Asked what he would tell his younger self, Verstappen said he would say nothing. “I would just let him live his life, experience the good things, the bad things, because at the end of the day, it all helps you to become a better driver, a better person,” he said.