Do we like Max Verstappen?
Our score: 6 out of 10. No harmful words or company turned up and there's real charity work, but his temper, a feud with a rival and a reporter ejected from a press conference keep him mid-table.
Verstappen was put in a kart at four by his father Jos, a former F1 driver, and won his first race against kids up to five years older when he was seven. Jos pushed him hard and has managed him since his F1 debut. Max says his dad once suggested he might end up a truck or bus driver, which tells you the household was not a hugs-and-participation-ribbons one.
That upbringing shows in the temper. In March 2026, after retiring from the Chinese Grand Prix, he called the new-era F1 rules a joke, and ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner reckoned Max throws the toys out of the pram when things don't go his way. He's since been loud about the rules all year, and Juan Pablo Montoya suggested he should face penalties for it, which led to a public stoush in Montreal.
The ugliest recent moment came in Japan in March, when he told Guardian reporter Giles Richards to get out of his media session. Verstappen said he'd been asked about his clash with George Russell more than twenty times and took the reporter's laughter as disrespect. Red Bull reportedly stressed it doesn't expel journalists, so it's a petty look, not a crime.
On the harm test, I found no campaigning against LGBTQ+ people, women or migrants, and nothing on vaccines or election claims. On race, in 2020 he said he couldn't imagine anyone favouring racism and that everyone is equal, though he was cautious about activism. The mark is on the planet: in 2019 he said F1 shouldn't be an eco drama queen, and if you don't like it, don't watch. Honestly, the record is thin on LGBTQ+ matters, which is a gap, not a pass-with-honours.
The good stuff is real. After his 2024 Singapore swearing penalty, he did his FIA community service in Rwanda, working with young drivers in a grassroots programme, and the FIA's boss said he fulfilled his promise. In 2025 the race suits he and Yuki Tsunoda wore in Japan raised £83,500 for Wings for Life, which funds spinal cord research.
Net result: a ferocious competitor who sulks loudly but doesn't punch down on anyone's rights as far as the reporting shows. You wouldn't cop flak for liking him, though you might want him off the group chat after a bad qualifying.