Aston Martin is trying to become the next Red Bull. Owner Lawrence Stroll has reportedly signed Adrian Newey with a $100 million deal. Furthermore, the Canadian billionaire is seemingly interested in poaching Max Verstappen to replace the 43-year-old Fernando Alonso, whose retirement will probably begin when his current contract ends. But this wasn’t the familiar scenario that we knew for the few months before this development.

‘Verstappen to Mercedes‘ found itself in many headlines in the first half of 2024. Though the reigning champion kept reaffirming his loyalty to Red Bull, something felt off. Fans and analysts suspected a lack of conviction in his statements. Moreover, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff relentlessly doubled down on this wave of speculation to manifest it into reality. After all, he’s losing a 7-time champion and Verstappen is the closest like-for-like replacement he could get.

Out of office… 🏝️ pic.twitter.com/Vcl6zCrPrL

— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) August 13, 2024

But all that is in the past now. After stealing ex-Red Bull CTO Adrian Newey from Ferrari’s grasp, Aston Martin is replicating it for Verstappen, and their latest social media has added fuel to the speculations. Embracing the summer break spirit, the Silverstone outfit shared a video of their AMR24 chilling on the beach. In the distance, smoke trails (probably from a jet or CGI) read 14 and 18 in the sky. But here’s the twist. A volleyball thrown into the frame that bounces off the car has the number ’33’ on it.

There are two possibilities here. Either the Lawrence Stroll-led team is referring to Fernando Alonso’s much-awaited 33rd F1 victory. Or they are teasing us fans because Max Verstappen used 33 as his F1 car number before changing it to 1 after winning his first championship. Most F1 fans on X leaned towards the latter.

This is a rather cheeky move from Aston’s social media admin. But as F1 fans who’ll take anything in this otherwise dry summer break, thank you! Even if this is an actual precursor for Verstappen’s arrival, it seems better than Mercedes signing him.

Why Max Verstappen to Aston Martin trumps a Mercedes move
Though Verstappen’s Red Bull contract runs until 2028, his future post-2025 remains uncertain. A multitude of factors, including but not limited to Christian Horner’s ‘power struggle’ and Newey’s exit, play into it. Additionally, after the technical guru’s exit, their car immediately lost its dominant edge while McLaren and Mercedes have simultaneously improved. However, Aston Martin is nowhere, with only 73 points in 14 races.

If it’s 2025 that we’re talking about, Mercedes trumps Aston Martin any day. But 2026 is an entirely different ball game. With the regulations reset, an educated guess wouldn’t rule out AMR’s return to the front. Here’s why. Honda, whose engine is responsible for propelling Verstappen to his three championships, will jump ship to Aston come 2026. Then, Red Bull will produce its own powertrains in collaboration with Ford, which will be an unknown quantity.

On the Mercedes front, Lewis Hamilton‘s exit from the team also indicates a lack of faith in their 2026 progress. This too shifts the balance of power in Aston Martin’s favor. But all won’t be lost for Toto Wolff if he loses out on the Dutchman. He has 17-year-old F2 prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli, also touted F1’s ‘next Max Verstappen’. In fact, an Aston move for Verstappen could work well for Mercedes too. Where would you like to see the reigning champ go?

Ducati must share the blame with Marc Marquez for the Race of Champions incident, it has been suggested.

Marquez’s first World Ducati Week saw him nudge Nicolo Bulega into the gravel in the final moments of the showpiece event last weekend at Misano.

Marquez has since held his hands up for the collision – but eyebrows should also be raised at Ducati’s timing.

“Do you know who I blame? I’ll explain what happened,” Neil Hodgson analysed on TNT Sports.

“It was World Ducati Week, where all the Ducati riders are invited. It’s part of their contract.

“They turn up, it’s a fun weekend, they have the Race of Champions. It’s a recipe for disaster!

“You put the best riders in the world from MotoGP, World Superbikes [and British Superbikes], you give them the brand-new Panigale V4 so it’s a level playing field. They have two practice sessions, qualifying and a race.

“In third was Nicolo Bulega but Marc was closing on him.

“I thought: ‘Marc is going to attack on the last lap’ like you’d expect him to do in a race.

“At Misano with three corners to go, that’s the last overtaking opportunity. If you don’t pass before, it’s pretty much done.

“On the last two, you can’t overtake unless a rider makes a mistake.

“Bulega did make a mistake. He turned into the last corner, Marc did a very aggressive block pass. There was contact, and he knocked him flying. Marc finished third

“After, it was almost embarrassing for Ducati – ‘we didn’t want that to happen…’

“I smile to myself. Who’s to blame? Of course, Marc Marquez.

“But the quality of Marc, the champion in him, the attacker… that’s what he’s going to do.

“So who do you blame? You’ve got to blame Ducati for putting these guys out there!

“They are obviously competitive. Of course there will be brave, dangerous, silly, wild moves. That’s the way I saw it.”

Sylvain Guintoli replied: “This is a risky week to organise it, in the middle of the season.

“When you see how far behind Marc was Bulega at the last turn, you can’t do it. You just can’t.

“It’s a short braking zone. There is no room on the inside unless you already have the front wheel there. He came from five metres behind.

It was, let’s say, a very late move…”

The Race of Champions at World Ducati Week was not supposed to be a competitive event.

Alvaro Bautista, for example, made his intentions clear by riding casually near the back.

But Guintoli warned: “It’s like a rugby match friendly, France vs England. It’s not going to be friendly!”

Hodgson likened it to a ‘friendly’ football match: “Basically, Marc did a two-footed tackle! Studs up! Because the game wasn’t going according to plan for him.

“There’s no way that, on equal machinery, Marquez wanted to be beaten by Andrea Iannone and Nicolo Bulega. He wasn’t having it.”

Marquez admitted fault for last week’s collision when he arrived at Silverstone for the British MotoGP.

“I tried something there that I’m used to doing with the MotoGP bike but in the moment I didn’t understand that I was riding a street bike,” he said.

“Even if it’s a really good bike, the reaction of the bike I didn’t expect and couldn’t stop well. It was a mistake. I cannot say anything more.”

Marquez is in action at Silverstone for qualifying and the sprint race at the British MotoGP on Saturday.

A new leader in Australia’s highest paid sport stars list has emerged amid F1 star Daniel Ricciardo’s shock multi-million dollar deal switch from Red Bull to Renault.

The 29-year-old signed a secret two-year contract with the French team, which will see him earn more than $35 million a year, more than three times his current salary.

From next season Ricciardo’s bolstered income will push him from the sixth highest paid sportsman in the country to the top of the ladder, when comparing his salary to Australian Financial Review figures from 2017.

It is predicted he will knock golfer Jason Day, whose 2017 earnings were $18.29 million, from the top spot and force basketballers Ben Simmons and Matthew Dellavedova further down respectively.

Simmons, at age 21, took out last year’s second highest position to 30-year-old Day, and was earmarked as likely to continue climbing the ladder.

The National Basketball Association Philadelphia 76ers player took out Rookie of the Year in June and is believed to be on track for a promising transition into business.

Among an impressive list of global endorsements, Simmons has a lifetime contract with Nike which could be worth more than $1 billion.

He is also a business partner of basketball superstar LeBron James, and while his current earnings are shy of Day, experts believe this won’t be for much longer.

Matthew Dellavedova sat pretty in third position in last year’s highest paid sport stars ladder, earning an estimated $12.49 annually.

The 27-year-old signed a four-year, US$38 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association in 2016.

Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, thought Ricciardo was joking when he called him to break the news of his new deal with Renault on Thursday.

Ricciardo had even agreed terms to stay at Red Bull, having spoken at length to owner Dietrich Mateschitz during last month’s Austrian Grand Prix.

A pre-recorded clip announcing the renewal of his contract, which was due to be aired before the next race in Spa on August 26, will now never see the light of day.

Red Bull acceded to the driver’s wish to have only a one-year contract, despite it wanting him to stay on longer, Sportsmail understands.

He will partner with Renault’s Nico Hulkenburg, freeing up Carlos Sainz to leave the company.

Ricciardo turned down a $31 million offer from British team McLaren, which was unsuccessful in its bid to sell him long-term success.

Ranking four in last year’s top earning sport stars was 38-year-old golfer Adam Scott, who will likely be bumped further down the list amid Ricciardo’s pay rise.

According to the Olympics’ official website, the list includes the winners of the World Championships and the 2020 Olympics.

Boxing

Kazakhstan will be represented in boxing by Nazym Kyzaibai (50 kilograms). The 2014 and 2016 World Champion in the weight category up to 48 kilograms, Kyzaibai, fulfilled her dream of competing in the Olympic Games. The tournament in Paris will be her first Olympic competition.

Valentina Khalzova (75 kilograms) will also debut at the Games. Her achievements include the title of World Champion 2016 in the category of up to 69 kilograms, the bronze medal of the World Championship 2022 in the same category and the gold medal of the World Cup 2023 in the category of up to 75 kilograms.

Saken Bibossinov (51 kilograms) is another national team boxer who has participated in the Olympic Games. In 2021, he secured a bronze in Tokyo, winning in the category up to 52 kilograms. He is also the 2021 World Champion, the 2022 World Silver Medalist and the Bronze Medalist of the 2019 and 2021 World Championships.

Judo

In judo, Abiba Abuzhakynova (48 kilograms), the third-ranked in the world, will debut at the Games in Paris. Over the past two years, Abuzhakynova has won bronze at the World Championships in 2022 and 2024.

Experienced Olympic judoka Eldos Smetov (60 kilograms) won silver in the 60-kilogram category in Rio 2016. Five years later, in Tokyo, he won bronze. His collection includes gold at the 2015 World Championships and bronze at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships.

Gymnastics

Milad Karimi is a gymnast specializing in all-around categories. At the 2023 World Cup, he brought the first award to the Kazakhstan national team in 26 years, becoming the bronze medalist in floor exercises. Karimi also competed in the Tokyo Games.

Athletics

Norah Jeruto, a long-distance runner originally from Kenya, obtained the right to perform for the national team of Kazakhstan in January 2022. The same year, Jeruto brought her team gold at the World Championships, setting a championship record.

Fencing

Ruslan Kurbanov, representing Kazakhstan in fencing, became the first athlete from Kazakhstan to win the World Fencing Championship award at the 2023 World Championship. He also won a bronze medal in the skewer tournament. The 2024 Olympics will be the second in his career.

Greco-Roman wrestling

Aidos Sultangali (60 kilograms) has twice climbed the world championships podium in Greco-Roman wrestling. He became the bronze medalist of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the category of up to 60 kilograms. The Olympic Games in Paris will be his first, which he has been dreaming about for 15 years.

Demeu Zhadraev is another wrestler in the category of up to 71 kilograms. He was the silver medalist of the 2017 World Championship in his category. Zhadraev competed at the Tokyo Games in the category of up to 77 kilograms and obtained the right to compete in Paris.

Freestyle wrestling

Azamat Dauletbekov, a freestyle wrestler (86 kilograms), will compete in his first Olympic games in 2024. He was a Bronze Medalist at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023.

Tennis

Elena Rybakina is the first Kazakh tennis player to be ranked in the world’s top 10. At the 2020 Games, She took fourth place. She won Wimbledon in 2022 and became a finalist at the Australian Open in 2023. At the moment, she is the fourth-ranked racket in the world.

De Hongaarse Grand Prix heeft veel stof tot nadenken opgeleverd, en het zal zeker blijven duren totdat het stoplicht weer groen wordt bij de Belgische GP zelf. Er waren veel controverses die ontstonden op Hongaarse bodem en de meeste daarvan tussen de leden van hetzelfde team. Sommigen begrepen de instructies van hun leiders niet correct en anderen wilden ze niet begrijpen.

Echter, en zonder twijfel, werd het moment van het circuit geleverd door Lewis Hamilton en Max Verstappen, in een wrijving die ze op het asfalt hadden en eindigde met de Nederlander letterlijk door de lucht vliegend en terugkerend naar de baan na een manoeuvre die maar weinigen aankunnen.

De Nederlandse coureur was tijdens de hele race erg boos op de bazen van Red Bull omdat hij de beslissingen die ze via de radio aan hem doorgaven, niet begreep. En als gevolg van die woede moest hij zoveel risico nemen om te proberen een plek op het podium te bereiken dat hij bijna crashte. “Je gaf me een waardeloze strategie, oké? Ik probeer te redden wat er te redden valt,” merkte hij op in een van de ronden.

Toen hij uit zijn auto stapte, zei hij: “Hamilton kneep me in op rechts. Maar we eindigden als vijfde door de strategie die het team koos.” Het kon niet luider en duidelijker zijn.

Hamilton reageerde op zijn beurt op dezelfde manier en stuurde hem een boodschap met zijn kenmerkende kalmte. “Max is een taaie coureur en heeft daarom zware races. Ik denk dat hij te veel remde en een fout maakte.”

Hoewel Max zijn voorsprong in het wereldkampioenschap met 74 punten over Lando Norris behoudt, werd hij in Hongarije ongebreideld gezien, wetende dat hij te dicht bij hem komt. En daarom, toen iedereen hem bekritiseerde voor zijn gedrag op de baan, ontplofte hij: “Jullie kunnen allemaal naar de hel gaan,” zei hij.

Max Verstappen is fuming. He was supposed to end his ‘winless’ streak in Budapest. However, the most dramatic turn of events left the world champion in P5. He aimed to capitalize on the brand-new upgrades. Unfortunately, the opposite happened, thus risking his place on the driver’s table. Moreover, Verstappen’s outrage over the team radio is the talk of the town. As he reported his frustration to the team, his choice of words seemed to have put off the audience.

Verstappen was irritated since the beginning. After the first lap, he had to let Lando Norris go ahead to P2. This somewhat triggered the ‘angry cells’ in Max. Following this incident, every time Red Bull‘s radio blared, it was mostly screaming and cuss words. The 26-year-old lost his temper more when he and Lewis Hamilton collided on the 63rd lap. What was the aftermath?

An unapologetic Max Verstappen sends a bold message to his critics on the clash with Hamilton

Max Verstappen has a message for his critics. “They can all f**k off,” retorted the Dutchman at the end of the race. Explaining the incident that pushed him further away from winning at the Hungaroring, the Dutchman expressed his disappointment. He said: “I got a lot of s**t thrown at me in Austria with people saying moving under braking. I am positioning my car on the initial movement and then I keep it straight.”

“Today, under braking he just kept turning to the right. And that is why I also locked up because I was going for the move.” Concluding, “But I saw the car on the outside kept coming at me. Otherwise, we would’ve already crashed before. I had to stop the car so that is why I locked up,” the Dutchman further added.

The media further asked him if he would apologize for the radio messages. Verstappen replied: “Why is that? I don’t….we need to apologize, we just need to do a better job. I don’t know why people think you cannot be vocal over the radio. This is a sport. If you don’t like it, stay home.” This shows Max won’t be apologizing to his team. His messages, although bouts of frustration, were his true emotions. And given this reason, the 3x champ wouldn’t say sorry. While a few fans have welcomed this straightforward attitude, others have called this stubborn.

The Hamilton-Verstappen incident has divided the F1 community. Some are blaming Lewis for going ‘overboard’ with his position defending. Meanwhile, others are pointing their fingers at Max Verstappen for his desperation for a podium. So whose fault was it?

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen locked up in lap 63

With just seven laps remaining, Mercedes No.1 Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen collided with each other. The duo was battling for the podium; Hamilton’s front wheel grazed the Dutchman and sent the back of his vehicle into the air. This incident took Verstappen down to P5 from where he couldn’t recover. Red Bull’s star driver ended his Hungarian GP with frustration and disappointment. Not just the car, but their strategies also failed during the race. And to make things worse, Red Bull’s slow pit stops became the ‘game changer’.

Astonishingly, nothing seemed to have worked for Max Verstappen. Budapest was a nightmare. Even his engineer GP Lambiase didn’t support Verstappen when he accused Lewis Hamilton of moving into his ‘braking zone’. Calling Max Verstappen’s appeal “Childish”, Lambiase’s alleged betrayal made the situation more difficult. At the end of the day, the 26-year-old had to settle down with only 10 points.

The outcome of the race was beyond Red Bull’s expectations. Such strategic failure and desperation to go back to the top shows that the team is indeed struggling to keep up. Losing the ‘dominant’ tag now, Max Verstappen’s title is under threat. McLaren has the fastest cars on the track and Mercedes is picking up pace. Max must win the next few races to maintain the lead or else he could be dethroned any time.

It’s another race weekend full of drama for all F1 fans! Their favorite teams challenged each other at the Qualifiers for the Hungarian GP. And beating all odds, Lando Norris grabbed the pole for the third time in 2024. His teammate Oscar Piastri will also start Sunday’s race right behind him, ensuring a front-row lockout for McLaren. And Max Verstappen will be starting from P3 tomorrow as Red Bull sort of spoiled his game at the Qualis.

Q1 at the Hungaroring saw some heavyweights exit as George Russell and Sergio Perez got out of the run. But the actual fun came in the third round of Qualifying thanks to Yuki Tsunoda. The VCARB racer crashed in the final moment of Q3, causing the race controllers to announce the red flag. When 2 minutes and 13 seconds remained, the session resumed. At that point in time, all the cars had just one last chance to go for a flying lap to ensure they got the best starting positions for tomorrow.

Making the best use of the advantage that Tsunoda’s crash left McLaren, the team played a quick game. As Lando Norris was on the provisional pole and Piastri was in P2, the papaya army needed the standings to remain the same until Q3 ended. So, the team’s strategists made the MCL38s head for the pit exit early so that they slowed down the cars behind them. And they were successful since no other car could even make it to the starting line for a flying lap.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen‘s Red Bull tactics blew up in his face. The team did not want to send him out in the rain for another lap. They thought there was no chance for the Dutchman to better his timings to beat the McLarens. In the end, Norris and Piastri walked away with the front row starts, pushing Verstappen behind. At the end of the Qualis, fans spotted Max going to the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, perhaps to enquire whether what McLaren did to try to slow down other cars was the right move or not. And in the post-quali interview, the reigning World Champion sounded so defeated after the McLaren racers got the best of him.

Max Verstappen laments “chasing” after McLaren
Max Verstappen is used to winning in Formula 1 and his three Championship titles are proof of it. The Dutch racer might have led the pack in the previous seasons easily, but now, things are different. McLaren has chanced upon some great speed that was hidden in its cars. And suddenly, Norris has become a Championship contender with a gap of only 84 points between him and Verstappen. At a time like this, the 26-year-old needed to get pole ahead of the Hungarian GP.

However, Lando Norris beat him to it, and thus, he sounded disappointed during the post-quali interviews. Max reviewed his performance on Saturday at the Hungaroring, saying, “P3 is still very close, just have to hope the car is good in the race. I love competition, but I would like to be on top of the competition at the moment I feel we are chasing, and I don’t back out of a fight but it’s trickier I guess.”

For Lando Norris, the Hungaroring pole means another chance to repeat what he achieved at the Miami GP earlier this year. If he manages to win the race tomorrow, the Briton will have his second-ever Grand Prix victory in his pocket. Considering the speed that McLaren has shown recently, comment below if you believe Lando will win the battle against his opponents at the Hungarian GP tomorrow.

Marc Marquez insists he wants to stay at Ducati beyond his new two-year contract.

Marquez sent shockwaves through the 2025 MotoGP rider line-up by winning the chase for the official Ducati.

He will partner Pecco Bagnaia while Ducati have seen Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi and the Pramac team depart.

Marquez, currently 31-years-old, will be the second-oldest rider on next year’s grid.

He was asked if his latest contract will be his last one in MotoGP, but he told Speedweek: “You never know, but I don’t wish for it.

“When I feel competitive… and competitive means being in the top six at every race…

“Very competitive means being in the top three.

“To win a championship you need all the tools, you need all the things in the right place. That’s not the case for me at the moment.

“But I want to stay longer than these two years. Even two years later.”

That desire would take Marquez into 2027 and beyond, the onset of the new MotoGP regulations.

Those new rules might, in theory, allow a rival manufacturer to rise up and test Ducati’s dominance.

Marquez is still in the championship mix this season as a Gresini rider, although he hasn’t yet won his first race on a Ducati.

He is third in the championship, 56 points behind leader Bagnaia.

Marquez is seeking a ninth world championship which would tie Valentino Rossi’s tally.

His first in the premier class arrived in his rookie season, aged 20, beating legends Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

Next year he must fend off young guns like Bagnaia, Martin and Pedro Acosta.

He was asked which version of himself had the harder task, and replied: “32-year-old Marc Marquez.

“When you arrive here as a 20-year-old, you know MotoGP but you don’t know anything about what’s going on.

“You just rely on your natural instincts, you fight against big names and you have nothing to lose.

“Nowadays, young riders come in at a different pace, without injuries and with a natural instinct.

“When I follow Acosta, Martin or Bagnaia, who are five or even more than 10 years younger than me, they ride in a natural way.

“Sometimes they don’t think much about the bike. That can sometimes be positive.

“I understand that this is the natural process in every athlete’s life.

“It’s not like ‘Marquez was better than Lorenzo and Rossi when he arrived’.

“That year I was better. But every athlete has their moment.

“And once you get to the top, you have to work harder and harder to make the descent a little smoother. If you can do that, you’ll have a longer career ahead of you.

“I don’t know if this decline has already begun for me or if it will take another year or maybe two or three. We’ll understand that in about five years.”

Max Verstappen has had time to unwind with a four-week break in the Formula 1 calendar
Max Verstappen enjoys sim racing when he is away from the Formula 1 paddock but the Dutchman still makes time for family life even when he is in the virtual cockpit. The Red Bull star was mid-race when his girlfriend Kelly Piquet’s daughter Penelope came in for a hug and he was more than happy to oblige.

Verstappen has dominated the start of the current F1 season alongside team-mate Sergio Perez with the RB19 clearly the best car on the grid. The duo have won each of the opening three races with the reigning world champion currently leading the standings with 69 points.

With the sport taking a four-week break due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen has had time to unwind at home following a hectic start to the season. He often likes to relax by taking part in Sim racing in his home, streaming his displays on Twitch alongside his friends.

However, he was interrupted during one of his races last week as his girlfriend Piquet’s daughter Penelope came into ask for a hug and see what he was up to. Having initially focused on his driving Verstappen was more than happy to take time out to speak to her after the chequered flag, involving the three-year-old in the conversation with his friends.

Shortly afterwards he left the stream to go off and have a tea party with Penelope as he fulfilled his role as a family man.

Penelope is also the daughter of former Red Bull man Daniil Kyvat, who was in a relationship with Piquet between January 2017 and December 2019.

Verstappen and Piquet officially became an item over a year later with Penelope welcomed into the Dutchman’s family, adopting the affectionate nickname ‘Maxie’ for the reigning world champion.

Sim racing is a major part of Verstappen’s life and he credits his hobby with making him a better F1 driver as he can use his experience with other setups to improve his racing.

“The main thing is that on all the simulator platforms, I race non-Formula 1 cars,” Verstappen told the Washington Post. “So, you have to be adaptive and change your driving style, since every car demands something else as far as steering input, throttle and driving lines.

“I’m constantly learning and adapting to what I need to do in each car to go as quick as possible. At the end of the day, that helps you when you go back to Formula 1, because you have all of this experience in the back of your mind.

“Sometimes you might not be entirely happy with the set-up of your Formula 1 car, but you can draw on all of your different experiences in the simulator.”

Max Verstappen is vandaag de beste coureur ter wereld, en dat wordt gerechtvaardigd door zijn prestaties in de afgelopen 3 seizoenen. Zijn consistentie in de auto, samen met zijn persoonlijkheid die fans aantrekt, heeft hem tot een onschatbare bron voor het team gemaakt. Maar wat maakt Max Verstappen zo’n geweldige coureur? We kunnen zeggen dat het zijn familie is.

De Nederlandse coureur komt uit een familie die motorsport in zijn DNA heeft. Van zijn vader, Jos Verstappen, een voormalig F1-coureur, tot zijn moeder Sophie Kumpen, die ook bekendheid geniet in de kartingwereld, het is veilig om te zeggen dat hij altijd omringd is geweest door motorsport. Maar het minder bekende aspect van de drievoudig wereldkampioen zijn zijn broers en zussen. Wie zijn zij?

Max Verstappens zus

Verstappen komt uit een racende familie, en hoewel zijn ouders niet meer samen zijn, is zijn familie nog steeds hecht. Allereerst is daar Max’ jongere zus, Victoria-Jane. Geboren in 1999, is zij 2 jaar jonger dan de drievoudig kampioen. In tegenstelling tot Max slaagde Victoria er niet in om door te breken in de autosport, hoewel ze het wel probeerde. Haar broer heeft nog steeds veel respect voor haar rijvaardigheden.

In plaats daarvan heeft ze gekozen voor een meer traditionele weg en is ze eigenaar van een kledingmerk genaamd ‘Unleash the Lion’. Het bedrijf wordt gepromoot op haar Instagram-pagina en met de naam Verstappen doet het het behoorlijk goed. Haar sociale media-aanwezigheid is sterk met meer dan 306.000 volgers en dit speelt een grote rol in het succes van haar merk.

Bovendien is Victoria-Jane moeder van twee kinderen, Luka en Lio, met haar partner Tom Heuts. Ze wordt vaak gezien bij Max’ races, samen met haar vader, een traditie die de motorsportfamilie al jaren heeft. Het is geen geheim dat Victoria een van de grootste fans van haar broer is. Max Verstappen beloofde zijn zus Victoria een handtas te kopen toen hij voor het eerst punten scoorde in de Formule 1. Hij vervulde deze belofte met succes in 2015 toen hij zijn eerste punten scoorde in de Maleisische Grand Prix.

Maar behalve een jongere zus heeft Max Verstappen nog een paar halfbroers en -zussen uit latere huwelijken van zijn vader.

Max Verstappens stiefbroers en -zussen

Inmiddels is het al bekend dat Jos Verstappen en Sophie Kumpen jaren geleden zijn gescheiden. Na die tijd hertrouwde de vader van de Nederlandse coureur en kreeg hij een kind met zijn volgende vrouw. Dat brengt ons bij Max’ halfzus, Blue Jaye, geboren in 2014 bij Jos en zijn tweede vrouw Kelly van der Waal. Op dit moment is Blue Jaye nog jong, dus het is moeilijk te zeggen of ze net als haar oudere broer een carrière in de autosport zal nastreven. Maar gezien de geschiedenis van haar familie in de sport, zou het niet verrassend zijn haar ooit achter het stuur van een raceauto te zien.

De 26-jarige coureur heeft ook een halfbroer, Jason Jaxx. Hij werd geboren in 2019, uit het huwelijk van zijn vader met Sandy Sijtsma. In dit huwelijk heeft Jos Verstappen twee kinderen, en de jongste stiefbroer van Max is Mila. De twee zijn nog jong en wennen net aan school. Maar gezien hun afkomst is er een mogelijkheid dat een van hen in de toekomst een motorsportatleet wordt.

Tot nu toe is er weinig bekend over de stiefbroers en -zussen van Max Verstappen, omdat ze nog jong zijn en de wereld nog moeten ontdekken. Maar gezien het feit dat de Red Bull-coureur al op zijn leeftijd 3 kampioenschappen heeft gewonnen, verwachten fans niets minder van de kinderen van Jos Verstappen.

Wat denk jij? Zullen we in de toekomst meer van de naam Verstappen op het circuit zien? Laat het ons weten in de reacties hieronder.