Verstappen's manager on growth: "Who would ever have thought this?"

Building on Max Verstappen's strong season in Formula 1 and his ever-growing fan base, Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen's de facto manager, said he was extremely proud of the progress made. He also provides a glimpse behind the scenes of the commercial activities surrounding the Verstappen brand.

"I am extremely proud of the team of people we are doing this with",Vermeulen begins in an interview with Motorsport Magazine. Due to Verstappen's success on the track, the commercial team surrounding the driver has reached 15 people.

Vermeulen admits that both he, Max and Jos are still surprised at the enormous growth that the Verstappen brand has achieved. Vermeulen: "And of course I am proud of how Max is doing. We sometimes say when we are with three of us, Max, Jos and I, but also within the enthusiastic Verstappen team: who would ever have thought this?"

Performance on track

Nevertheless the manager stresses that, even with such a big team, everything depends on performance on track. Vermeulen: "The sporting aspect comes first, we have always said that and we always will. On the other hand, it is of course true that what Max shows on the track also has its impact on the commercial side of the story."