Max Verstappen’s Spa 2015 gesture left Will Buxton’s father beaming

F1 analyst and former F1 TV presenter Will Buxton, opened up on a heartwarming story which showed what a “lovely guy” Max Verstappen is.

Buxton told the tale of Spa 2015, when Verstappen joked to Buxton’s dad that he learned everything he knows from the Brit, from their days in the Florida Winter Series. “Total rubbish,” Buxton admits, but Verstappen will never know how much that meant, as it left his father – who sadly passed away six months later – “beaming.”

Will Buxton shares Max Verstappen Spa 2015 story

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Buxton took part in the Palm Beach round of the Florida Winter Series in 2014, in what was its inaugural season. In doing so, he shared the grid with a rising phenomenon known as Max Verstappen.

Since then, Verstappen has gone on to become a four-time World Champion, and enter his name into the conversation around Formula 1’s best to ever do it. Buxton developed his motorsport journalism career to become one of the most recognised voices in the industry. He now is the lead commentator for Fox Sports’ IndyCar coverage.

On the track, Verstappen has developed a rather ruthless persona, rarely giving his rivals an inch, and outperforming multiple Red Bull teammates to the point that they are dropped. He is also never afraid to speak his mind.

But, Buxton, via the Up To Speed podcast, was keen to demonstrate what a kind person Verstappen is off the track.

“Even his rivals have to take their hat off and say on his day, we just can’t do what Max does,” Buxton began.

“He was talked about from the youngest of ages. It almost seemed that he was always going to make it to Formula 1. He was always going to be a World Champion.

“But the guy that you meet, the guy that you get to know away from the guy on track, is just a lovely guy.

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“One of my favourite memories of him, and I met him for the first time back in 2014 when he was just stepping out of karts into single seaters, when he made his debut in F1, my parents came to the Belgian Grand Prix that year.

“My dad was quite ill and left us about six months afterwards. But Max wasn’t to know that at all.

“It was raining, and so we ran into the Red Bull motorhome to get out of the rain, and Max was there, and he said, ‘Oh, are these your parents.’ I said, ‘Yeah, this my mum, my dad.’ And Max introduced himself, and he turned to my dad and he said, ‘Oh, by the way, Will taught me everything I know,’ because we had that day racing together back in 2014.

“Total rubbish, obviously, but a lovely thing and totally unnecessary. He didn’t have to say something like that. And my dad just beamed. And he could tell everybody that, until sadly he wasn’t here anymore.

“Max will never know how much that meant. It was lovely.”

Verstappen debuted in 2015. After a season-and-a-bit with Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, he graduated to the senior Red Bull team, winning on debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

He won four Drivers’ titles in a row between 2021-24, and delivered what many believe was 2025’s standout season, even though Lando Norris brought his title streak to an end.

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