The rise to dominance in recent seasons from Max Verstappen has been phenomenal, with the Dutchman shattering a number of records last year on the way to his second consecutive world championship.
Only Charles Leclerc was able to really lay a glove on the 25-year-old in last season’s championship and Verstappen still managed to wrap up the title as early as Suzuka.
With the Dutchman now being the driver to beat in Formula 1, Verstappen has decided to branch out into other racing series, most recently becoming involved in the GT World Sprint Series.
The Red Bull driver has surprisingly joined forces with Ferrari and will sponsor the Ferrari Emil Fray team in this year’s championship.
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This sponsorship was leaked by Albert Costa Balboa on social media, who will be racing for the team this season.
In the post which was showing off Ferrari Emil Fray’s new livery this season, Verstappen’s influence is clear, as the car is plastered in Red Bull colours and has Verstappen.com written on the side.
A Formula 1 driver branching out into different racing series is becoming relatively common now, with Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing team competing against a number of ex-driver owned teams in the Extreme E championship.
While this is Verstappen’s first involvement with Ferrari, it is not Red Bull’s, as partnerships between the two teams have been seen before outside of F1.
Red Bull drivers Alex Albon and Liam Lawson both raced in the German DTM series in Ferrari GT cars, despite being signed as part of the Red Bull system.
Fans on Reddit have been reacting to Verstappen’s sponsorship deal with Ferrari Emil Fray, with some fans taken aback by the announcement.
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“Max sponsoring Ferrari, jeez 2023 has started off interestingly,” wrote one fan.
“A Ferrari with a Red Bull livery just feels so wrong,” wrote another.
While Verstappen will be hoping that his sponsorship helps Ferrari in the GT World Sprint series, he will certainly be hoping the team are less successful in Formula 1, as he looks set to lock horns with the Scuderia once again this season.