Raymond Vermeulen: Keeping up with the Verstappens

'Boy-wonder Karting sensation to teenage F1 driver' describes Max Verstappen's early racing career, with father Jos - sacrificing a promising career outside of F1 - in the driving seat of his son's future. But the step up to F1 was massive, and no longer a one-Dad Show as it had been.

In an interview with Formule1 republished on verstappen.nl, the man who manages the Triple World Champion, Vermeulen explains how his involvement with Max began when the 17-year-old at the time made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015: "It grew very organically. I started with Jos, then we started with Max, and he was always ahead of the game.

"I always had to go full throttle to keep up with Max, off the track, with everything we had in mind. We have immense trust in each other, we do it with three people and Max has the last word in everything. But we discuss all the big things and it's always in harmony. We know what we can expect from each other. That, I think, is the basis of our success."

And boy did Verstappen Junior deliver on the success front! Now, at 26 years of age, the Dutchman is already a triple F1 World Champion and 54 times a Grand Prix winner. Max is much more than a racing driver, he is a 'human corporation' with Red Bull dishing out $45-Million in 2023 for his services.

RBR coffers added an extra $25-million to that in bonuses as Max powered to an incredible 19 wins out of 22 last season. But it was not just plain sailing to get to the point, where apart from his massive retainer, the Dutch ace also does very nicely from merchandise and other commercial endeavours linked to his success on track.

Vermeulen ventured: "Of course, money is nice, but so is the story. If you look in the rearview mirror, we had to make some pretty big decisions at crucial moments. And those have been good. I think that over Max's entire career so far, we haven't made any wrong steps. We made the right decisions at the right moments.

"And I'm proud of that. There were occasional fights internally, but I think in the end the three of us always chose the right route. To this day, it has proven to be the right route."

That route was from Toro Rosso to Red Bull where he began life with a win on his debut for the 'senior' team at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. And the rest, as they say, is history!

"Ultimately it's about how Max performs on track," explained Vermeulen. "We've always said that: it's about performance on track. You can see that Max sets himself apart that way, and in doing so he gets the status he has now: starting as the 'boy next door,' but as soon as he has a helmet on he is a lion and will try to devour everyone. And that does appeal to people, I think."

As for the meaning of three consecutive F1 Titles for the Verstappen camp, Vermeulen said: "The achievements are why we are in it for in the end, and it is still happening. You can see that Max is driving with a kind of calmness after winning his first title. I think he's still growing.

"I can’t say any more about which direction we are going, but Max is in a league of his own. There's still a lot to come, I think. But again: above all it's about performance. And that we gain from that commercially is obvious."

Verstappen inked a deal that will keep him in Red Bull colours until the end of 2028 when he turns 30. The longest contract by far among his rivals, which some may consider risky in the ever-changing world of the F1 pecking order. Can RBR provide him with title-winning cars until then?

Vermeulen is clear that it was no gamble: "No, no. You can see the drive in everything at Red Bull, whether you come into the car factory or the canning department. With this team, there is no politics. They want one thing: to win. And with the Verstappens, that happens to be what it's all about.

"So they’re a good fit. But Red Bull needs the tools to do it. That's also why it started its own engine program. Of course, that's a statement to the outside world. Like: hello, guys, we are here to win. And so now they’re building their own engine. What are we then talking about? If an energy drink brand builds its own engine, I think that’s a statement. That was another indicator for us that we are at the right table."

Mercedes and Ferrari could do with Verstappen driving their cars, but Vermeulen asks: "Why would Max make a switch right now? We are not interested in that. But it's a small world, everyone and everything talks to each other, but we have a commitment until 2028.

"And as you can see, Max is in the position of a lifetime, he is driving without pressure. Teammates? Let ‘em come: everyone gets equal machinery. And everyone is free to try to beat Max, right?

"Let's worry about that in 2028. Maybe Max will be the first driver to start and stop at the same team that gave him his break. That could be another Verstappen chapter of this story..."

Beyond Max, would he consider managing other drivers? Vermeulen was adamant: "No. I am also very clear about that. I will continue to work exclusively for Max.

"I don't have time for other things either, I don't have the energy for it. Max is familiar to me, he is like a family member, like a friend. Of course, I have known him since he was born.

"I have a very different kind of bond with him. I could never muster the energy that I have for Max for another, and I'm not going to. This is of course much more than just management, what I do for Max and the family. But I like to keep it to them."

When Max walks away from F1, will Raymond also walk? "Yes. I will do fun things with my son, of course, and have my hobbies. But doing this again with another person and in this form… I’ll have to pass.

"I would stay busy, but not in this type of role anymore. I'm quite willing to give advice or think with someone, but I won't be upfront pulling the cart anymore," declared Vermeulen.