When the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world in 2019 and life came to a screeching halt, humanity rediscovered itself through sheer perseverance. Netflix became a staple of lockdown life and it introduced F1 to the mainstream populace of the US. As the mere viewers of Drive To Survive turned into fans of F1, Joel Embiid felt reassured by the growing number of track followers. Being French, his familiarity with F1 was deeper and so was his passion.

After Max Verstappen ended the Lewis Hamilton monopoly in 2021, Joel Embiid was one of the first names from the NBA to join in a wild celebration. 3 years down the line the Cameroonian center is still a lover of the tire-burning smell on asphalt. His latest social media activity is proof of it.

Joel Embiid reacts to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collision

As the F1 action took the Red Bull Ring by storm 8339 kms away from the USA, Max Verstappen found himself in a sticky position against Lando Norris of McLaren. Their battle ended with an ugly collision and Joel Embiid was far from happy. “It’s the stewards fault for that collision. They took way too much time to give Norris the penalty,” wrote the former MVP on X.

The Red Bull driver was going neck-to-neck with the British-Belgian driver but it went wrong on lap 64 when Norris collided with Verstappen at turn 3, handing both with punctured tires. This cleared the way for George Russel to win the Austrian GP. Verstappen ended at 5th and Norris was disqualified. This was not the first time Embiid showed his Max Verstappen fanboyism. Embiid posted a video of his uncontrollable exuberance after Verstappen won his maiden F1 championship. While Embiid keeps up with the F1 through the television screen, he never had a chance to appear in a race. The closest he was to a Grand Prix was in April when he linked up with a top name of the racetrack.

Joel Embiid on his love for F1

Back in April this year, the Sixers were on the road for a game against the Miami Heat. With the Miami GP a month away, this was a time for promotion of the event and Guenther Steiner was in the town for a spin. The former Haas principal visited Kaseya Center for the game between the Sixers and the Heat and Embiid was able to meet him. The duo posed for pictures and shared words of encouragement.

“I’m very passionate about F1. Growing up in Cameroon, I lived for soccer and F1. I haven’t been to Miami because it’s during playoffs but my friends say it’s the best race in the US. It’s great to meet Guenther and I want to find ways to get more involved in the sport,” Embiid told Mail Sports in an interview. Embiid made a return from his meniscus injury in April and since then managed his injury and suffered from a minor case of Bells Palsy. Embiid will join his USAB teammates for the Paris Olympics preparation camp next week as he will chase some glory of his own without crashing into any obstacle.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video