Max Verstappen is preparing for his performance at the last Dutch GP, coming Sunday in Zandvoort. In an exclusive interview with FORMULA 1 Magazine, he looks ahead to the race and, of course, also talks about many other matters, including his popularity in the Netherlands and the eternal comparison with Johan Cruijff. “If Johan Cruijff hadn’t been able to kick a ball, he would never have been so popular.”
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Read the full interview with Max Verstappen in the special Zandvoort edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine. The magazine is now in stores and can also be ordered here. Below is a short passage from the interview.
– In the Netherlands, you have been compared more than once to Johan Cruijff, among other things in terms of impact and popularity. He actually left something behind for future generations with the Cruijff Foundation, among other things through the construction of the Cruijff Courts. Is that something you also think about, for example the construction of kart tracks here and there?
“Yes, I have looked into it once or twice. But that’s not so easy in the Netherlands. What I said, a football field is just a bit different from a kart track, also somewhat more environmentally friendly. I definitely want to leave something behind, but I mainly think about my GT program. That we can scout talents in the sim world and give them a chance in a real car. Those are goals I pursue, of course alongside building up my own racing team Verstappen Racing.”
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– Just a bit more about Zandvoort and all those orange fans in the stands, also at other races by the way: have you ever stopped to think how crazy it actually is that you cause all that?
“Yes, I never expected that myself of course. Nobody, I think. When I came into Formula 1, I didn’t think it would all turn out so well. The results, the wins, the titles and of course the races in Zandvoort.”
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Orange colors
– But that orange craze. The Dutch national team can trigger that, at least if they win. And you. That is unprecedented really. You are an individual, a single person and not a national football team in a football-crazy country.
“I don’t really look at it that way. It is what it is. I always find it very special to see. Those orange colors always stand out, they really catch the eye.”
– Do you have an explanation for your popularity? Is it only related to your successes on the track?
“Well, success helps a lot. If Johan Cruijff hadn’t been able to kick a ball, he would never have been so popular.”
– But if people hated him, neither.
“No, that’s true. It’s always a combination. There are plenty of footballers very popular, of whom I think: are those really the right examples for the youth. But Johan Cruijff was of course also very well known and loved because of his statements and the way he thought. Look, I never read books. I really hate that. But if a new book about Johan Cruijff comes out, I do read it. Because that interests me.”
Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
Read the full interview in the latest edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine! Get it now in stores or order it online, with free delivery throughout the Netherlands.
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