Max Verstappen claimed his fourth F1 title earlier this month, but he has let the UK public down by admitting he is not a fan of the traditional Christmas dinner
Max Verstappen once slammed the idea of a traditional UK Christmas Day dinner, saying he would rather eat meatballs than turkey.
The half-Dutch, half-Belgian racing legend beat Englishman Lando Norris to claim his fourth Formula One world championship title earlier this month. It marks Verstappen’s second rivalry with a Brit, having previously gone toe-to-toe with Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
Since joining Red Bull Racing’s junior team as a teenager in 2014, Verstappen has also spent a significant amount of time in the UK at the team’s base in Milton Keynes. But the 27-year-old risked igniting the anger of fans up and down the country with his comments on a rather touchy subject.
When asked in 2022 if he was a fan of the UK’s Christmas dinner, Verstappen appeared unfamiliar with the golden brown roast potatoes, stuffed turkey, fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and delectable trimmings smothered in piping hot gravy, topped off with the crowd favourite—pigs in blankets.
He controversially told Joe: “I’m not a big fan of turkey actually. I love meatballs,” before adding: “Brussel sprouts? I don’t mind them now. When I was little I hated them, but it also depends on the preparation.”
Verstappen was left confused when asked for his opinion on pigs in blankets. But after hearing the description of a small pork sausage wrapped in bacon, he ripped the idea apart, saying: “I’m happy I’m not celebrating it in England then!”
While his comments evoke thoughts of Charles Dickens’s Scrooge, the racing icon still manages to enjoy the Christmas holidays during F1’s off-season, leaving behind his £13million Monte Carlo penthouse to spend time with relatives. They include his ex-F1 driver dad Jos Verstappen, siblings, and model girlfriend, Kelly Piquet.
Shedding light on his Christmas Day plans two years ago, Verstappen said: “I’m going to go home and try to see the family as quickly as possible. I will definitely be taking a bit of a break and relaxing as well, because it’s been so busy and flat out the whole year, that I really feel like I need a bit of a break from all of it.”
Verstappen will enjoy a well-earned break this time around, too, having been pushed by McLaren’s Norris far more than he had been in the previous two seasons. After some time off from the hectic F1 calendar, he will return to pre-season testing for Red Bull in late February despite rumours regarding a potential move to rivals Mercedes in the future.
Though tied to Red Bull till the end of 2028, Verstappen admitted he had “very constructive” conversations earlier in the year with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who publicly courted him for several months.
He added: “The big teams are always interesting, but on the other hand, I’m also in a very big team. I’ve achieved a lot of success with them. It also just feels like a second family.”
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