Max Verstappen arrived at the Singapore Grand Prix with a new pair of race boots and left with a victory he had been chasing for years.
The Verstappen.com Instagram account shared an image of the boots before the weekend. The design features a navy base with a pink floral pattern, alongside the Red Bull and Oracle branding of his regular kit. The post drew close to an astonishing 50,000 likes.
Fans were quick to take in the immense detail. Several fans questioned whether the flower resembled a hibiscus, the national flower of Malaysia, rather than an orchid, Singapore's national flower. F1 raced at Sepang the weekend before, where the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix was held, and Verstappen won it.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images
While the design is eye-catching, race boots are a functional part of a driver's kit. They must meet FIA safety standards for fire resistance, and are built with thin soles so drivers can feel the pedals precisely. That means they can only really personalise them with different colours and designs, but that does not usually stop Verstappen. As one fan asked under the post: 'does he ever not have special boots?'
Whatever the inspiration, they proved lucky.
Singapore had been one of the few venues to elude Verstappen. In 2023, he qualified 11th and finished fifth at Marina Bay as Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari - the only race Red Bull lost all season. Last year, he finished second to George Russell.
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F1 Singapore GP: Max Verstappen dominates for Marina Bay doubleThis time, everything came together. Verstappen won a sprint on Saturday that was delayed by heavy rain and featured a crash for George Russell and a collision between the two McLarens. He then took his first grand prix pole at Marina Bay, and kept his composure in the heat on Sunday with a commanding show of dominance. On Sunday he led from start to finish, beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 7.335 seconds, with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli third.
The win came on Verstappen's 250th grand prix start, too. It was the 73rd victory of his career, his second in a row after Sepang, and Red Bull's first in Singapore since 2022.
"It's taken a while, but I think this race was very good. I mean yeah, we had pace when we needed to have it on the soft tyre and on the medium, even though I think the medium tire for everyone was a bit more of a struggle, but it worked out, so of course very happy to win here."