"He's the same bloke from Monday to Sunday": Red Bull mechanic on how Max Verstappen is away from the spotlight

Calum Nicholas, the Senior Red Bull Racing mechanic, has shared his admiration for Max Verstappen's demeanor and honesty around the team. The Dutchman is often perceived as crude, due to his driving style and previous interactions with the media and other drivers.

Verstappen has been involved in several controversial moments throughout his F1 career. Ever since his debut, 10 years ago, his intense on-track rivalries and blunt communication style have led to criticism from pundits and fans alike.

From refusing team orders at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix to heated exchanges over team radio with his race engineer, Verstappen never shies away from saying what he feels. In 2018, he even physically confronted Esteban Ocon at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after a collision.

Calum Nicholas shared another side of the 27-year-old's personality that, according to him, was not often talked about. Many Red Bull insiders and other F1 paddock members have hinted that Verstappen has been a misunderstood character.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, the British mechanic shared how Max Verstappen has an easygoing personality and never puts on a fake persona around the mechanics or team members.

"With us, honestly, I couldn't speak highly enough of him [Verstappen]. He makes it easy because when we go out, he's just one of the boys. You can talk to him about absolutely anything, his interests, his hobbies. There's no facade with him. He's the same bloke Monday to Sunday," stated Nicholas.

"Everyday he is the same guy. You can be absolutely honest with him and he'll be absolutely honest with you," he added.

Max Verstappen was involved in a confrontation with the FIA after the organization ruled that the driver would need to take part in community service as a punishment for swearing in a press conference. The Dutchman spent the next press conference giving short one-sentence replies as a response to the penalty and even held his own unofficial press conference outside the media room.

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Max Verstappen announced AlphaTauri's Global Brand Ambassador

Max Verstappen has been announced as AlphaTauri's Global Brand Ambassador via a press release by the clothing brand. The company is part of the Red Bull empire and was also the title sponsor of their junior F1 team from 2020-2023.

The clothing brand revealed its new brand ambassador on Tuesday and also shared images of Verstappen in their clothing, via Instagram:

"🤝 Excited to welcome four-time Formula 1 World Champion @maxverstappen1 as our Official Global Brand Ambassador."

This move did not come as a surprise to Max Verstappen's fans, as he has previously done modeling work for AlphaTauri and has also been spotted wearing their clothing regularly in his daily life. Verstappen acknowledged this in the press release as well, saying, via alphatauri.com:

"AlphaTauri's commitment to combining style with functionality fits perfectly with my lifestyle, both on and off the track. Honestly, I use it everywhere I go."

The announcement also drew a hilarious reaction from fellow F1 driver Lando Norris, who commented on AlphaTauri's Instagram post, sarcastically expressing his shock.