FIA Champion Verstappen Sparks Passion for Racing in Rwanda

Max Verstappen engaged with Rwandan youth, showcasing motorsport’s potential to inspire the next generation through his community service efforts.

Verstappen received his World Champion trophy in Rwanda during the FIA’s end-of-year gala. Reflecting on his fourth F1 title, he admitted the emotion remains the same and anticipates even greater challenges next year.

“They’re all different, which makes them special. For us, it was a tough year, so I’m proud to be here and still win the title. And I’m happy we’re in a new place,” Verstappen said.

“We didn’t have the best mid-season, but we were more competitive at the end. We need to work hard to improve the car; we have a lot of ideas to implement, and we want to keep fighting for wins. It’s going to be very tight with several teams, but that will be great for the championship.”

In Rwanda, Verstappen also engaged in community service, raising awareness about motorsport among children as part of his penalty for insulting marshals. “Globally, everything is becoming more expensive, so the more you can develop motorsport within your own country, the more affordable it becomes for children,” he noted.

“I think it’s amazing to have this opportunity, and I hope it inspires these children to dream of becoming race drivers, engineers, or something else in the future. The potential in Africa is huge, and I believe everyone is working to make this happen… trying to get everyone very excited.”

“No matter where you come from in the world, anything is possible. That’s why I think it’s important for us to be here. I’m very excited to see that, hopefully, in five to ten years, more people will join motorsport on this continent.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA President, praised Verstappen’s efforts as he took to the track to showcase motorsport: “We visited the youth together, and he truly kept his promise. He was there, engaging with the young boys and girls who built the rallycross car, and there were also girls involved in the car and in karting.”

“Hundreds of young people. This is the kind of community service we need every driver, every champion, to undertake. If we want to grow and talk about diversity, this is real diversity.”

He even suggested this could become a voluntary initiative for drivers in the future to avoid penalties for misconduct: “He didn’t push the car to its limits; that wasn’t the focus this time.”

“It was primarily about the people present—the young boys and girls we met. I believe that, in the future, we might not need to enforce such sanctions. It should become a gesture from the drivers, and perhaps I’ll include it in their contracts once they obtain their Super Licence.”