King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima sent a congratulatory message to Formula One pilot Max Verstappen for his victory in the Japan Grand Prix.
Their Majesties tweeted the following message: “After a tiresome start to this season, Max Verstappen regained itself in a big way, winning as many as 12 of the 18 races and both sprint races. The ultimate achievement was delivered today by winning the Formula 1 world title at the Grand Prix of Japan under challenging circumstances. We congratulate him on prolonging the world title.”
The incidents referred to at the beginning of the post are from the start of the racing season, when the pilot was forced to retire from two races and didn’t manage to get his usual placement in some others.
Despite this, with the victory in Japan, he managed not only to win this leg of the competition but also to be crowned world champion with four racing days still to go, which replicates his success in the past season.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima seem to have taken a liking to watching Formula One races on television, as they comment on every victory from Mr Verstappen.
The pilot was born in the Netherlands but holds Belgian citizenship; his father was a Formula One race driver, while his mother competed in go-kart racing.
He chose to race with the number 1, symbolising his placement in the past world championships season. The number had not been used since the 2014 season when it was attributed to Sebastian Vettel. This is because British pilot Lewis Hamilton chose to keep racing with his trusty number 44.
Mr Verstappen races for Red Bull since 2016, making the change from Toro Rosso, an Italian team. Right at the beginning of this season, his contract with Red Bull Racing was renovated for a further five years, prolonging it until 2028.
