“But I think that making the deal when Max was very young, 16 with Red Bull, that was the right call, and they helped him on his path, and did the right things to prepare him for F1.
“I think we made the right decisions at the right moments. But I think that Max would have come in F1 anyway, but maybe on a different route or later, but he was meant to here, and was prepared.”
Max’s nationality has ultimately worked in his favour. The Netherlands is a relatively small country of 17 million people, so arguably it’s easier to become nationally famous than in say the UK, France or Germany.
“Dutchies like to support the success and the national product,” says Vermeulen. “We had Jos in the early days, so of course we had a big fan crowd with him already.
“So when Max was on the world platform, making the progress as a Dutchman, that got a very support big support in Holland.”
The small size of the country also means that it has relatively few sporting heroes. In the seventies it was a big force in football – Johan Cruyff was a global superstar who transcended his sport, and his team made the World Cup final in both 1974 and 1978, losing both times.
On-track success has fuelled merchandise and fans willing to travel overseas
Red Bull
After a lull the country was runner-up again in 2010, but in recent years the national team has not matched its earlier heights. Verstappen’s success has thus arguably garnered more attention at home because he has few major rivals for people’s attention, certainly on the global stage.
“I think that’s the last big hero was Cruyff,” says Vermeulen. “That’s one of the biggest export products what we had in Holland, but Max is representing Holland on the fantastic way.
“He got the support from all Dutchies and they like to travel, so they bring the orange kit all over the world. And that is sort of reflecting the Dutch spirit.”
