Ahead of the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo, Max Verstappen paid a visit to Filadélfia Brasa, as part of a special team tradition that he has kept alive since 2022.
With a strong connection to motorsports, the restaurant is owned by Nelson Piquet Jr., who is the son of three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet. He is also the brother of Verstappen’s partner, making the restaurant a fitting venue for the Red Bull driver.
Over the years, team dinners have become an established part of Verstappen and Red Bull’s culture, with the Dutch driver previously taking people from his side of the garage out for dinner in Budapest in 2022, on the back of his ’21 triumph. The following year, he would take around 30 members of his crew to dinner, renting a venue in Budapest once again.
The annual gesture would take an even bigger scale following his fourth championship win. Verstappen ended up organizing a team dinner for nearly 80 crew members at the St. Regis Hotel in Doha. He also made sure to acknowledge their contributions in a speech, which underlined the hard work put in by each team member.
Notably, the practice isn’t a Verstappen-specific trait, but rather a tradition across the wider Red Bull family. Daniel Ricciardo had also established a practice of taking his personal team out at least once every season. Alex Albon would later carry the practice forward, just like Verstappen.
And while not much is known about the bill that Verstappen ended up paying this time around, we do know that the Dutchman is bringing the Brazilian flair to the track this weekend.
Max Verstappen To Wear the Brazilian Colors in Sao Paulo
Heading into the Sao Paulo race, which happens to be in the home country of his partner, Kelly Piquet, Verstappen has decided to swap the usual colors on his helmet. The usual red, white, and blue of the Dutch flag will not remain a theme for Verstappen’s helmet at Interlagos, with green, yellow, and blue of the Brazilian flag replacing them this weekend.
Sharing the design on social media, Verstappen detailed that he is going to be “bringing some samba to Sao Paulo.” Notably, this isn’t the Dutchman’s first special helmet for the race in Brazil. Last year, he added gold and green accents to the lion motif on his helmet, as he deemed the Brazil race a “special” outing for him.
Several reasons account for that, with an important one being that the race stands as the home race of Ayrton Senna. The 29-year-old has been vocal about looking up to the late driver, and racing at his home venue is a special feeling.
On a more personal level, Verstappen is closely linked to the Piquet family, given he is in a long-term relationship with Kelly Piquet, with the two even having a daughter together in May 2025.
To add to this, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto is a close friend of Verstappen, and the venue has treated fans to some of the Dutchman’s greatest drives in F1.
The Genius of Max Verstappen at Interlagos
Verstappen’s relationship with the track at Interlagos has produced some of F1’s greatest drives of all time. His first major statement came in 2016, when a 19-year-old Verstappen put in a remarkable recovery drive in the wet to go from P16 to P3. The Dutch driver overtook 14 drivers in 11 laps before an ill-timed tire strategy threatened to ruin his afternoon.
In 2023, the four-time world champion once again demonstrated just how good a driver he is at Interlagos, after fending off pressure from Lando Norris. Having secured pole position for the race, Verstappen capped off the perfect weekend with a second career race win in Brazil.
However, his best drive would come in 2024, after Verstappen started the race from P17 on the back of an ill-timed lap in qualifying that saw him exit in Q1.
The No. 3 driver would carve his way through the entire field before taking the race lead on a restart. Eventually, the Red Bull driver would go on to win the race by a whopping 19 seconds, reinforcing Verstappen’s reputation as one of F1’s most formidable wet-weather drivers.
More F1 Reading
- What Does Mercedes Need To Do To Win the Constructors’ F1 Championship at Brazilian GP?
- Lewis Hamilton Flaunts His Brazil Connection With $61 Limited Edition Ferrari Cap
- Sky Sports F1 Removes Danica Patrick, Announces Replacement Who Is Set To Debut at Brazilian GP
- 2026 Brazilian GP: Interlagos Circuit Specifications, Records and Historic Races
Comments
More in News
‘It’s Always Charles’ Fault’: Nico Rosberg Backs Lewis Hamilton After Leclerc Clash Costs Ferrari in Mexico
Inside Toto Wolff’s Email to Mercedes Staff After Kimi Antonelli Became F1’s Youngest Champion
12 Wins, 1980 Crown and Williams’ First Title: F1 Great Alan Jones Dies at 80
‘I’m Never Going To Apologize’: Lewis Hamilton Refuses To Be Silenced Amidst Tensions With Charles Leclerc
