Formula 1 racing is a high stakes business on and off the track.
For the 2023 season, F1’s annual revenue increased to $3.2 billion — a 25 percent gain compared to the 2022 season. And last fall LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton sealed a 10-year deal with F1.
As last year’s highest-paid driver, Max Verstappen, a four-time F1 world champion, took home an annual salary of $60 million and $15 million in bonuses. And the F1 racer Lewis Hamilton, a member of the host committee for this year’s Met Gala, is not the only luxury fashion force in and out of the pit.
Max Verstappen on the track during the F1 U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin.
PHOTO BY RUDY CAREZZEVOLI/GETTY IMAGES
The Dutch-Belgian Verstappen racked up his fourth consecutive title last year for Red Bull, but there are reports that his long-term future with the team is a question mark. The 27-year-old’s contract with the energy drink company will run down in 2028.
Verstappen has just been tapped as the official global brand ambassador for AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s premium fashion lifestyle brand. Going forward, he will sport the brand while traveling to the 24 locations on the 2025 Formula 1 calendar — and doing so in style. In a promotional video interview about his latest endeavor, Verstappen said securing his fourth win has been “a dream.” He is looking forward “to seeing how competitive we can be this year. Once you realize how competitive you are, you set a bit of a target, but that’s too early to say at the moment.” The driver said that he is “excited” to be working with a new teammate, Liam Lawson.
AlphaTauri offers understated functional apparel, hats, scarves, wallets and bags for women and men. One of the upcoming releases for men is a waterproof lightweight jacket that will retail for 650 euros, and styles include a stretch blazer for 429 euros and a waterproof lightweight jacket for 350 euros. Describing his own style as “very basic,” he said, “With the help of AlphaTauri, that will probably help my style a little bit.”
Max Verstappen with Kelly Piquet.
GETTY IMAGES
His Brazilian model partner Kelly Piquet is a familiar face on the designer scene. Equally at ease at Paris Fashion Week or on the F1 circuit, she knows of what she speaks. Her father Nelson was a three-time F1 World Champion and the father of her own daughter is F1 driver Daniil Kvyat.
Known to be grounded, Verstappen told WWD in an interview 15 months ago, “What’s most important is to be yourself. That is very important in order to move forward outside of racing. Having people see the real me is the only way that they can relate to me and be a fan. That, of course, also creates your brand.”
Max Verstappen seen wearing AlphaTauri.
Photo by David Klopman/Courtesy Red Bull
In the Red Bull video, Verstappen spoke of the importance of sleep and how many people don’t realize that. “Of course, you can train well, but if you’re not recovering well, that’s not going to help you out.…I’ve improved upon that from the time that I was 18 until now.”
