Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei
Max Verstappen has the longest F1 contract with Red Bull that runs till 2028, with a salary of $55 million annually. This contract also reportedly forbids him to engage in adventure sports. Verstappen had once highlighted this fact as a direction from Helmut Marko. However, the Dutchman has seemingly gone against this contractual obligation to go skiing with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet, and her daughter Penelope.
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As seen on a Twitter (now X) post, Verstappen is in full skiing gear alongside Kelly Piquet and probably a ski instructor. The backdrop of the picture shows the snowy mountains of Switzerland, which is where the 26-year-old has reportedly gone on vacation.
As the F1 winter break is in full swing, the Red Bull driver would want to spend some quality time with his family. However, his contract explicitly has clauses to not engage in winter sports, including skiing. The rationale behind this is due to the horrific scares of suffering brutal injuries during such adventure sports.
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The most obvious precedent for such a clause is Michael Schumacher’s horrific skiing accident in 2013. The German driver was skiing in the French Alps when he had a terrible accident that put him in a coma for a substantial period. To date, Schumacher has had minimal improvement in his condition.
Nonetheless, Verstappen has revealed that he likes skiing, just like many of his compatriots on the F1 grid. He believes that there is risk in everything from cycling to driving, so he would not want to hesitate from skiing.
Besides, the three-time champion, Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso have also posted pictures and videos of their skiing adventures.
What else has Max Verstappen been up to during the winter break?
Max Verstappen has uncharacteristically spent more time away from home than usual during this season’s winter break. Usually, the Dutchman is at home engaged in sim racing. However, this year he has already visited the wedding of Kelly Piquet‘s brother, Nelson Piquet Jr., in Brazil.
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Over there, there have been several fun instances of a lot of eating and some fun moments during the marriage ceremony. Besides attending the wedding, Verstappen also went karting with the Piquet family. Naturally, he won the race to boast his prowess in front of his potential future in-laws.
If the Dutchman is at home, he tends to do sim racing with his friends regularly. It is difficult for Verstappen to not engage in racing activities, online or offline. If not F1, he likes to engage in GT racing and endurance racing.
With his brand Verstappen.com, the three-time champion is looking to set up a GT racing team as well. This team will look to promote and groom young racing talent, who don’t get the right platforms and opportunities.
Being one of the best sim racers, Verstappen wishes to blend the experience of the two, to provide a homologated medium for youngsters to undertake racing.
