Max Verstappen stormed to his second successive world championship well before the 2022 F1 season ended.
He made plenty of headlines along the way, notably for the ease with which he was able to clinch the world championship as opposed to the controversial manner of his first title in 2021.
Visiting the Red Bull factory recently, Verstappen made headlines in a way that has previously been associated with his rival Lewis Hamilton.
Dressed up in quirky attire, fans questioned his fashion sense, with some even believing that he is giving competition to Hamilton off the track owing to his questionable getup.
Verstappen was in incredible form for most of the 2022 season, winning a record number of Grand Prix races over the course of the campaign (15).
In doing so, the Dutchman ensured that he etched his name into the history books.
This time, though, it was his fashion (or perhaps, lack of it) that got eyeballs rolling.
The event was held at the Red Bull factory after the team managed to win its first constructors’ title in nine years.
Approximately 30,000 people were in attendance to see Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez parade the RB7, Red Bull’s 2011 competitor. This car was famously driven by Sebastian Vettel during one of his world championship-winning seasons.
The entire evening was running pretty smoothly till fans caught a glimpse of Verstappen.
Wearing fluorescent headgear and massive goggles, fans couldn’t help but tear into his choices.
i am so confused pic.twitter.com/U2KIGfKJ0h
— Sem¹ 🎄 (@Semmieeef1) December 11, 2022
why does he look like a minion? 💀 https://t.co/1qobajejCT
— sofia¹⁶ 🇲🇽 (@likedby_cl16) December 12, 2022
i am so confused pic.twitter.com/U2KIGfKJ0h
— Sem¹ 🎄 (@Semmieeef1) December 11, 2022
i am so confused pic.twitter.com/U2KIGfKJ0h
— Sem¹ 🎄 (@Semmieeef1) December 11, 2022
i am so confused pic.twitter.com/U2KIGfKJ0h
— Sem¹ 🎄 (@Semmieeef1) December 11, 2022
Did Verstappen really look like a minion? That, of course, is debatable.
However, judging by the volume of comments on Twitter, Red Bull will not mind the publicity.
While F1 drivers are often trendsetters even off the track, it is fair to say that this experiment from Verstappen did not quite go as per plan.
Read more: Daniel Ricciardo was forced to undergo ‘strange surgery’ at Red Bull following innocent mistake