You think you know Max Verstappen. You’ve seen the 4-time World Champion clinical at 200 mph, the guy who turns Sunday afternoons into a Red Bull victory parade. But honestly, the F1 paddock is a bubble. It's noisy, it’s political, and for Max, it’s often a bit much.
Max Verstappen Off the Beaten Track isn't just the name of a Viaplay documentary series; it’s a lifestyle he’s been quietly building while the rest of the world was busy arguing about track limits.
Most fans see the "robot." The guy who wins, gives a blunt interview, and disappears. But where does he disappear to? Usually, it's to a sim rig or a GT3 test session in Italy that nobody was supposed to know about.
Why Max Verstappen Off the Beaten Track Matters Right Now
F1 is exhausting. In 2025, we saw the calendar stretch to its absolute limit, and as we head into the massive regulation changes of 2026, the burnout is real. Max has been vocal—kinda famously so—about how he won't be doing this until he's 40.
He wants out. Not out of racing, but out of the circus.
The series Off the Beaten Track basically pulled back the curtain on what "Max time" looks like. It’s not yachts in Monaco or red carpets in LA. It’s actually pretty nerdy. We’re talking about a guy who finishes a real Grand Prix and then jumps on a flight to get home just so he can compete in a virtual 24-hour race with his mates on Team Redline.
The Sim Racing Obsession: It’s Not a Game
People used to laugh at sim racing. They don't anymore, mostly because Max is treating it like a second professional career. In the third episode of the doc, aptly titled It’s Not a Game, you see the intensity. He isn't just playing; he’s engineering. He’s looking at telemetry data for a virtual BMW M4 GT3 with the same focus he uses for his RB21.
- Team Redline: Max isn't just a "guest" driver. He’s an investor and a core part of the strategy.
- The Setup: His home rig in Monaco is worth more than most people’s actual cars.
- The Crossover: He’s now using his platform to bring sim racers like Chris Lulham into real-world GT3 seats through Verstappen.com Racing.
This is the "off the beaten track" reality. While other drivers are at fashion weeks, Max is arguing about tire pressures in a Discord server.
The Business of Being Max
There’s a misconception that Max doesn’t care about the business side of things. That's mostly because he lets his manager, Raymond Vermeulen, handle the boring stuff. But Off the Beaten Track showed a different angle.
Episode 2, I am a Business, Man!, dives into the Verstappen.com empire. It’s a family business, really. You’ve got Raymond, but you’ve also got Gemma Lusty managing the relentless marketing demands.
Max hates the "fluff." He hates the PR lines. He once said that what he does privately is "nobody's business." Yet, he understands that to race the way he wants—to own a GT3 team and support young talent like Thierry Vermeulen (Raymond's son)—he has to play the game.
Managing the Brand Without Losing the Man
The series highlights a rare vulnerability. Max admits he misses the "casual moments." Just sitting on the couch. Being a dad—something that became a reality in May 2025. It’s a weird paradox: he’s the most famous athlete in the Netherlands, but he’s happiest when he’s invisible.
Testing at Mugello: The GT3 Future
If you want to see the real Max, look at him at a private test day in Mugello. No fans. No Netflix cameras (except the ones he invited). Just a Ferrari 296 GT3 and a stopwatch.
This is where the Max Verstappen Off the Beaten Track vibe really hits. He’s acting as a mentor and a test driver for his own project. He’s not there to set lap records for himself; he’s there to help Thierry Vermeulen find three-tenths of a second. It’s a side of him that’s almost... patient?
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It’s a far cry from the "Mad Max" persona of 2021.
What We Learned About the "Real" Max
Honestly, the biggest takeaway from seeing him in these environments is that he’s a purist.
- He’s a student of the sport: He watches everything. MotoGP, WEC, DTM. He’s a walking encyclopedia of racing lines.
- Loyalty is everything: He works with the same small circle of people he’s known for a decade. If you’re in, you’re in.
- He’s preparing for life after F1: The infrastructure is already there. Verstappen.com Racing isn't a hobby; it’s a retirement plan.
The Fatherhood Factor
In late 2025 and early 2026, the conversation shifted. We started seeing a Max who talks about his family more than his championships. He’s been open about how fatherhood changed his perspective. He still wants to win—don't get it twisted—but the sting of a bad race doesn't last as long when there's a kid waiting at home.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you want to follow Max "off the beaten track" and understand the champion better, don't just watch the F1 broadcasts.
- Watch the Team Redline streams: You’ll hear Max being himself, joking around on Twitch, and showing a personality the F1 media rarely captures.
- Follow the GT World Challenge: That’s where his team, Verstappen.com Racing, actually competes. It’s the blueprint for his post-F1 career.
- Check out the "Talking Bull" podcast: It’s one of the few places he actually opens up about his life in a relaxed setting.
Max Verstappen is a simple guy with a very complicated job. He doesn't want the fame; he just wants the speed. Whether that's in a multi-million dollar F1 car or a virtual GT3 car in his living room, the "beaten track" is the last place you'll find him.
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Your Next Step:
Go to the Verstappen.com Racing website and look at the 2026 schedule for their GT3 entries. If you want to see where Max’s heart really lies, that's the program to watch. It's the most authentic window into what happens when the F1 lights go out.