I Finally Got to Ask Max Verstappen How to Be the Best | My Wild Ride at F1 Miami
Start with a bang.
You’re in the paddock. Sun’s beating down. F1 cars are screaming through turns. I’m standing next to Red Bull Racing and Ford Performance with a single goal: ask Max Verstappen one question—“How do you become the best?” But before we get there…
Cue the cinematic intro montage: interviews, hot laps, $220k track monsters, espresso-fueled paddock madness, and the LEGO cars that stole my soul.
Let’s rewind.
When I Got Ditched by Formula 1
On May 6th, 2023, I was supposed to attend the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. I’d made it through the gates—almost. I was dropped last-minute in favor of a more "lifestyle-relevant influencer," which, at the time, felt like getting tossed in a river with bricks in my pockets.
And that moment stuck with me. F1 had always been a dream. I didn’t grow up in a racing family, I didn’t watch cars as a kid. But somewhere in between a credit union job and building MartiniWorks, I found myself obsessed. So this time, in 2024, when Red Bull USA and Ford Performance reached out… I said yes.
Homestead-Miami: 12 Hours, 3AM, and a Formula 4
Before the Miami Grand Prix weekend kicked off, I landed at Homestead-Miami Speedway—a track located 60 minutes south of the glitz and chaos. I’d been awake since 3AM in Wisconsin, hopped flights, downed airport coffee, and found myself face-to-face with a Formula 4 car.
Why? Because this—this car—is what Max Verstappen used to drive. Well, not this exact car, but the stepping-stone from karts to open wheel.
The Formula 4 Ford I jumped into had a 1.6L EcoBoost, Sadev 6-speed sequential, and dry sump lubrication. At Silverstone, an F4 car is over 30 seconds slower than F1… but I didn’t care. I was driving this thing until someone told me to stop.
Feeling Out of Place... Until I Didn’t
I’ll be real—at first, I felt wildly out of place. Everyone around me looked like they had model contracts or influencer deals. I looked like a Wisconsinite who hadn’t slept in a cornfield.
But things turned fast. I ran into old friends from FD who took me drifting in an empty lot with a Mustang and traffic cones. That reset me.
Then Came the Revolution 500SC
Enter the Revolution 500SC—an 1,800 lb, 500bhp, dry-sump monster powered by a supercharged 3.75L Ford V6 out of a Transit van (yes, seriously).
What’s insane? The engine’s base sits below your butt. It runs a WRC gearbox (3MO), has air jacks, a carbon tub, and hits FIA certs without blinking. It’s a $220,000 race car that makes everything else feel like bumper cars.
All of it—set up by a guy I knew only from the internet: John, aka Grassroots Motorsports.
Welcome to the Paddock Club (AKA, Not My Tax Bracket)
Back in Miami, we entered the Paddock Club—the kind of place where espresso machines are polished like race cars and the smoothies are unlimited. I was wearing a $15 t-shirt from Target and chasing free coffee like it owed me money.
A week ago? I was eating ham and cheese. Now? I’m rubbing shoulders with people who own yachts bigger than my apartment complex.
Tsar Bomba Watch Moment (Ad, but Make it Cool)
Now, pause real quick. While we’re living large—yes, I was wearing a watch. The Tsar Bomba Dark Matter-1. Automatic, modular, 102g, rubber strap that breathed better than I did after a hot lap.
Customizable bezels, slick red/black colorway, exposed caseback. Stylish without being loud. It was with me every second on this trip. If you’re into watches, look it up. Legit.
The Inner Circle of Formula 1
Huge shoutout to Chloe from Ford Performance, who not only made this possible, but helped walk me into the insane behind-the-scenes world of Formula 1.
Did you know 7 out of 10 F1 teams are within 60 miles of Silverstone? If you want a job in F1, that’s your hometown.
Inside the Paddock felt surreal. Walking past Zac Brown, Lando Norris, and realizing I was standing inside the Miami Dolphins Stadium while the entire F1 circus unfolded around me.
And Then… Max Verstappen
The main event. After everything, I finally got to talk to Max Verstappen.
Look, say what you want about him, but this is the same guy who:
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Won three CIK-FIA championships in a single year.
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Loves cats.
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Allegedly had a child to skip media day.
Ford didn’t let me ask about the cats (trust me, I tried), but the convo we had was something I won’t forget. Max, Yuki Tsunoda, and even Kimi Raikkonen talking to Zac Brown—it made something crystal clear:
They all just really, genuinely love racing.
Then Came the Hot Lap
I got strapped into a hot lap car for Pirelli’s ride-along experience, and HOLY SH*T. That track, when you’re not in an F1 car, feels massive. You don’t realize how fast F1 drivers really are until you try to drive those same corners at half the speed—and still feel like you're dying.
F1 Academy & Chloe Chambers
One of the coolest parts was meeting Chloe Chambers, F1 Academy driver, and seeing how much passion exists behind the camera. We talked about her favorite track (not spoiling that here—watch the video), and it made me wonder...
Is F1 Academy just a marketing ploy? Or does it have real stakes?
Spoiler: It’s real. It’s changing the game for female drivers and young talent.
400,000 LEGO Bricks > Helicopters
On our way to the Red Bull Energy Station, we passed the LEGO F1 cars—400,000 pieces, 22,000 hours, and I wasn’t allowed near them because I wasn’t "media." Worth it. Even if Esteban Ocon got a 10-second penalty the same day.
Red Bull Energy Station: The Circus Is Real
Chloe wasn’t kidding. The Red Bull Energy Station is a moving circus. Fully modular, set up in days, yet it felt like walking into a private club for billionaires with a Red Bull addiction.
Everyone there? Just as obsessed with racing as I am.
So, Was It Worth It?
A year ago, I got cut from going to F1. Now? I’m sipping espresso next to the starting grid.
I met Max. I drove F4. I rode shotgun in a $220k track car. I walked the paddock. I watched the sprint. I met people who genuinely live for motorsport.
And yeah, I got my answer to the question I asked Max: How do you become the best?
You show up. You grind. And when the opportunity comes around again—you take it.
Until Next Time, F1 👋
Thanks to Red Bull, Ford Performance, Chloe, Gustavo, John, and everyone who made this weekend what it was.
If you ever get the chance to go to F1—take it. Even if you’re wearing a $15 t-shirt.
#fordreturns #f1 #redbullusa
