How TikTok accidentally gave Max Verstappen his redemption arc

Max Verstappen has undergone a surprising - and entirely unintentional - image rehab over the past few years, thanks in part to TikTok.

Once cast as the villain of the Formula 1 paddock following his controversial world championship victory in Abu Dhabi in 2021 and the tense battle with Lewis Hamilton, the Red Bull driver has now secured four titles and with them, a growing base of social media defenders.

The shift was made crystal clear when Verstappen’s on-going feud with George Russell was re-ignited in Barcelona this year. Despite the Dutchman admitting fault for the misjudgment as they made contact - which earned him a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his superlicense - the internet has not completely turned on him.

In fact, under TikTok videos ranging from fan edits of fiery on-track moments to heartwarming clips of him with his stepdaughter, the same comment keeps popping up: “They could never make me hate you, Max Verstappen.”

So what’s behind this softening image? “After the 2021 season there was this whole discourse about Max being a villain. He’s since won in the fastest car, and he’s won when he hasn’t been in the fastest car, so he has nothing to prove,” content creator Neha Sridhar told Motorsport.com.

“He’s garnered this new relationship with fans on TikTok as someone who’s kind and smart, who loves maps, who loves cats, is a present dad and I think that has shifted how people view him.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Hannah Hall, co-host of the Fan Behavior podcast, said she was immediately endeared to Verstappen after learning about his upbringing. Many fan videos on ‘F1 TikTok’ highlight his father Jos’ tough-love parenting style.

“Max is only famous because he loves racing and is really good at it. I don’t think he wants to be a celebrity and I’ve always admired the fact that he’s there to do his job and do it well, despite all the noise and the media,” Hall said.

That stoicism is part of what appeals to fans like Jordan Helms, a New York–based content creator.

“He sticks to talking about the race and doesn’t gossip or get into the blame game, which I think plays well on social media,” she said. “People like that side of him and it makes him feel like less of a villain.”

Younger fans are also increasingly media literate - and aware that Drive to Survive may be offering a manipulated representation, particularly in the aftermath of the Hamilton incident in 2021.

“TikTok has become a better ‘reality show’ for Max than Drive to Survive, which tried to paint him as a villain,” Helms said.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“Fans get to see his actual personality, his off-track interactions … and that’s given him a bit of an unintentional redemption.”

Importantly, this PR glow-up hasn’t been engineered by Verstappen or Red Bull - it’s totally organic. Not even a controversial clash with Russell could see fans waver, though that might have something to do with the Mercedes driver.

“People are starting to see that all the best athletes have done something that could be considered ‘bad behaviour’ or acted out of character,” Hall said in reference to the incident in Spain.

“But Max isn’t going into his post race interview to complain about it and make it worse. A lot of people like the fame and the noise and the photographers, but that’s not Max.”

Russell, for his part, takes himself a tad more seriously, which doesn’t play as well on social media.

“It isn’t always flattering when he’s seen to be complaining a lot,” Helms said. “He also seems to be quite into himself, what he eats, the shirtless pictures and his whole ’T’ pose. It’s harmless fun, but it’s never going to come across well.”

Perhaps one comment summed it up best with brutal clarity: “George Russell is the guy perpetually running for student body president.”