“I Now Speak Fluent Japanese”: Is Max Verstappen Planning on Moving to Japan?

The immense on-track success in Formula 1 has propelled Max Verstappen among the 100 most influential people on the planet according to Time Magazine. But like everything else in life, Verstappen maintains a pragmatic approach to his fame. He often comes across as a nice and respectful person who doesn’t like to indulge too much in someone else’s business. And that makes Japan a perfect place for Verstappen to settle down. But is he planning to move to Japan though?

His recent comments about his time spent in Japan during the Asia leg of the Formula 1 championship certainly gave us a hint of his fondness for the Country. In an attempt to reduce cost and the carbon emissions caused by transportation, F1 has decided to string together Grand Prix events that lie geographically in proximity to each other. This is why the Japanese and the Chinese Grand Prix were held right after each other.

And Max Verstappen spent a lot of quality time in Japan this season. Arriving early in the country, Verstappen went skiing with his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, and other friends. And he even stayed after the race to explore the country even more. During a recent exclusive with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, at the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, the Red Bull driver spoke about his experience in Japan.

“Formula 1 is one thing and I am, of course, busy with Team Redline in sim racing, but I also think it is very important to switch off sometimes and do some sightseeing,” said the triple world champion. “We had made a nice plan. From Melbourne, we went skiing in Japan and after the race there we mainly visited Tokyo. I enjoyed seeing more of the city and different districts. We also went to the beach. Not to lie there, but to explore the area a bit.”

He even revealed that he had learned to speak Japanese, hinting that he might want to move there in the future at some point in time. He added, “And I now speak Japanese fluently, which is also worth something… It is very clean, the people are polite and helpful. That makes it very nice to be there. You don’t meet many strange people there…”

Interestingly, Japan is also the place where the Dutchman first experienced the thrill of driving a Formula 1 car.

Max Verstappen made his first F1 appearance in a 2014 practice session in Japan

The connection between Max Verstappen and Japan runs deep. Not only does he enjoy staying there, but it’s also the country that gave him all of his three world championships. Honda, one of the automotive giants of Japan, has powered all of Verstappen’s championship-winning cars. He even won his second championship in 2022 in Japan. And he has a deep sense of loyalty to the Japanese brand. However, Japan is also the place where Max Verstappen first drove a Formula 1 car.

In 2014, a young and relatively unknown figure in F1, Verstappen took to the track for his first-ever free practice session with Toro Rosso. This came after he was announced as a full-time driver for the Red Bulls sister team earlier in August. Helmut Marko, who played a crucial role in getting Verstappen to F1, recently reflected on his decision regarding the 17-year-old’s entry in the sport. “We were declared completely crazy by just about everyone and had all sorts of things thrown at us,” Dr. Marko told Motorsport.com.

Marko also said that he was convinced of Verstappen’s talent despite his young age after his impressive performance in Formula 3 in 2014. “After what I saw at the Norisring, I didn’t think age was relevant at all. Normally I talk to a young driver for 20-30 minutes to get a good idea of his personality and the structure around him. But with Max, I spent an hour and a half in Graz.”

Do you see Max Verstappen moving over to Japan after he hangs up his helmet? Share your thoughts on the matter.