Max Verstappen couldn’t resist poking fun at F1 rival Lando Norris and the FIA, but he was also ridiculed in return.
The three-time F1 champion was taking part in Jimmy Broadbent’s ‘The Race for Mental Health’, a 23-hour endurance sim event benefiting mental health.
As a member of Team Redline and wearing the number ‘1’, the livery on Verstappen’s car, designed by fans, inevitably drew the attention.
The bonnet featured an image of Norris running wide at Turn 1 at Interlagos during the previous Brazilian Grand Prix, which cost him a higher position, along with the slogan ‘Think Different’. Check it out below.
On the side of the car was a graphic with the FIA logo and the words ‘Max Verstappen +10 seconds’. There was also an image of George Russell beside the main character Woody from Toy Story.
Verstappen, on the other hand, was the target of much levity, with fans unable to resist cracking jokes about him. To interact, viewers had to donate to the organization. They even had the authority to impose fines, like the FIA stewards.
One fan posed as the FIA and donated £100 in exchange for a ‘Stop and go penalty for car #1’.
Worse came to pass for Verstappen, who drew on his terrible experience prior to the Singapore Grand Prix, when he was sentenced to community service for uttering the F-word during an official FIA press conference.
A notification read: “Max, you used vulgar and offensive language for broadcast, so car 1 will be stopped again. We’ll be watching for the next community service opportunity.
Verstappen joined in the fun, amusingly responding: “Why am I being singled out?”
In another exchange, the quick-witted Verstappen attempted to avoid a penalty because he believed the rules had been applied improperly, citing the fact that his vehicle was number 1 rather than 01, thus “whoever did that can p**s off!”
Overall, the sixth edition of the charity event was successful, raising £95,375, just over £10,000 more than the aim.
Broadbent, overjoyed, stated, “This race is very special to me. I, like many others, have struggled with mental health difficulties and have found charity like Mind to be really helpful.
“Our community has raised nearly £300k for this cause, which is my proudest achievement thus far…”It’s difficult to express how big of a difference that makes.”
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