Franz Hermann - who is the hidden German talent from GT3?

Okay, let's be honest now - as you probably found out from the thumbnail already, Franz Hermann is a pseudonym for a very well-known Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen. Max used this name in order to remain uncovered during the tests of the Ferrari 296 GT3 on the German circuit Nordschleife. What are Max's favorite activities besides racing in the pinnacle of motorsport?
Verstappen is a celebrity among athletes, so I won't describe his career achievements in this article. There are plenty of opportunities to discover his personality throughout his side quests. For instance, he owns a GT3 team called "Verstappen.com Racing". He founded the team in 2022 and he aims to connect virtual and real-life racing. First, his goal was to encourage talented drivers in virtual racing. Furthermore, it was also his free time activity that caused a little drama.

In 2024, Verstappen participated in a 24-hour race virtually during the Hungarian Grand Prix, which would not be a problem if he didn't mess up the race the next day, together with being arrogant in conversation with his race engineer. Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, forced Max to not race virtually during the F1 race weekends, however, Max remained passionate about it enough. Additionally, he promised that by 2025, his team will attend an endurance part of the GTWC championship, which includes a 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps. Although Max won't drive for the team (probably), he is looking forward to watching the team's first ever experience of the team on track. However, he refused to become an F1 team owner after his career due to the stress and heavy travel involved.

Another great chapter is Max and FIA (International Automobile Federation). Max hates FIA, although it is said that it was Michael Masi, the FIA race director, who helped him to win his first ever World Championship title in 2021. And it looks like FIA hates Max sometimes as well. For instance, back in 2021, Verstappen received a €50,000 fine for touching Lewis Hamilton's car after qualifying. That is a lot of money considering that he was just inspecting the allowed gap between the rear wings - he had not destroyed any part of the car. Another story is from 2024, because the FIA fined Max for using a bad word in the radio communication, although they are manually censored. Max then refused to answer questions properly at the official press conference and talked to journalists outside the room instead. Last but not least, Max refused to watch the official screening of the F1 movie before the Monaco GP and decided to do some online racing instead - under the "Franz Hermann" nickname.
In conclusion, Max does not care what does people think about him at all, which makes him a World Champion. He is determined to reach any goal no matter the consequences and say his opinion out loud.
Jakub Ondruš
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0-FynEnQ1I
https://racing.verstappen.com/<br>
https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5723<br>
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/1030930/max-verstappen-fia-swearing-battle-f1-quit-threat/<br>