F1 | Max’s metamorphosis: from bad boy to “rookie dad”
Max Verstappen has offered advice and support to all the rookies who joined F1 in 2025. The testimonies from Bortoleto and Antonelli regarding the Dutchman, who has matured significantly after winning titles and becoming a father, are heartwarming.
Anyone who remembers Max Verstappen from just two seasons ago would certainly struggle to believe they are looking at a young man who is not only completely focused on racing but also interested in dispensing advice to the guys who have just arrived in Formula 1.
At 27 years old, with four World Championship titles plus the one he narrowly missed this year after a historic comeback, the Red Bull Racing Dutchman has literally become a man. He is a much more mature person, capable of reading every situation on the track much better and also being a source of support for those who, like the many rookies who debuted in Formula 1 this year, needed advice, a pat on the back, or a word of encouragement after errors both minor and major.
All of this has led him to become “the rookie dad.” It still sounds strange even just writing it (and, we imagine, reading it too). But it is a symptom of several things Max has experienced in recent years, from sporting achievements to family life, including fatherhood and a very different self-awareness from the one he had up until winning his first World Championship title in 2021.
Two debutants, Gabriel Bortoleto and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, spoke about Verstappen’s role as a mentor to the youngsters. Both, within the limits of their respective cars, have alternated between excellent results and moments of difficulty. And Max, along with other more experienced colleagues, never failed to offer his support.
“My family back in Brazil is simply fantastic. They haven’t been able to travel much this year to come and see me, but the races they attended were always special. And other drivers too, look at Fernando (Alonso) and Max (Verstappen), they gave me so much support behind the scenes. So yes, it’s been awesome,” Gabriel Bortoleto stated.
Antonelli perhaps had an even closer relationship with Max after being unintentionally involved in the title fight due to Lando Norris’s overtake on him in Qatar with two laps remaining.
After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concluded, with the title lost, Max Verstappen offered comfort to Antonelli, who had gone to him to apologize for the incident in Lusail, despite it being completely unintentional.
“Yes, he gave me his support,” Andrea Kimi said about Max Verstappen. “I think Max has been very supportive of all the rookies. What do they call him? The rookie dad. But it’s been great. Lewis (Hamilton) was too. But everyone, to be honest, seems to have welcomed the fact that there were so many rookies on the grid.”
“They showed their support in their own way, and then there was my family too. It was fantastic, and I think that’s the kind of support you need, especially in your first year of Formula 1.”
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