Which car did Max Verstappen drive?

[Anastasia]

Max Verstappen’s primary and most significant car is the Formula 1 machine fielded by Oracle Red Bull Racing. As of the 2024 season, he drives the championship-winning RB20, following a succession of Red Bull cars from the RB12 (2016) to the RB21 for the 2025 campaign. Beyond F1, he actively competes in GT3 racing, driving models like the Ferrari 296 GT3, and maintains a personal collection featuring hypercars and thoroughbred sports cars.

Formula 1 Career with Red Bull Racing Verstappen’s entire F1 career has been with Red Bull Racing. He debuted mid-2016 in the RB12, immediately winning his first race. His World Championship victories were secured in the ground-effect regulation era: the dominant RB18 (2022), RB19 (2023), and RB20 (2024). The team’s 2025 contender is the RB21. These cars are the definitive answer to which car he drives, representing the pinnacle of his professional racing.

Key Red Bull F1 Cars Driven by Max Verstappen (2016-2025)

Season(s)	Car Model	Key Achievement
2016-2017	RB12 / RB13	First F1 win (2016 Spanish GP)
2018-2019	RB14 / RB15	Multiple wins, establishing as top contender
2020-2021	RB16 / RB16B	Intense title battle, first Drivers' Championship (2021)
2022-2023	RB18 / RB19	Consecutive dominant championship seasons
2024	RB20	Fourth consecutive World Championship
2025	RB21	Current championship challenger

GT3 and Endurance Racing Activities Verstappen expands his driving portfolio in GT3 categories. His most publicized outing was at the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours, where he drove an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. He has also tested and raced the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in other events. This demonstrates his versatility and passion for racing beyond the F1 calendar, often using cars relevant to real-world performance benchmarks.

Personal Car Collection and Preferences His private garage reflects a discerning taste for performance. It has included limited-production icons like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, a Ferrari Monza SP2, and an Aston Martin DBS. Verstappen has also shown a long-standing appreciation for German engineering, having owned a Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991.2 generation). This collection is personally curated, often favoring driver-focused, analog experiences over mere luxury.

Ultimately, “which car” depends on context. For his professional pinnacle, it’s the current Red Bull F1 car. For his competitive GT outings, it’s a factory-supported GT3 model. For personal use, it’s a rotating selection of elite hypercars and sports cars, each chosen for specific driving enjoyment.

[DeJuliette]

Honestly, if you’re asking about the car that made him a legend, it’s the Red Bull RB18. I’ve followed every season. That 2022 car was a monster. It started this insane winning streak. Before that, in the RB16B, he was fighting tooth and nail with Hamilton. But the RB18? It was a statement. He just dominated. That’s the car where he transformed from a champion into a dominant force. Sure, he drives the newer RB19 and RB20 now, but the RB18 was the game-changer. It’s the one I’d point to in a museum.

[VonStephanie]

From a technical enthusiast’s view, the car he drives is defined by the regulations. From 2022 onward, it’s a ground-effect Formula 1 car designed by Adrian Newey’s team at Red Bull Powertrains.

The RB18, RB19, and RB20 share a fundamental aerodynamic philosophy that generates immense downforce from the underfloor. The Honda-built (now Red Bull Ford Powertrains) power unit is a critical part of the package. My focus is on the engineering.

The current RB20, for instance, introduced notable vertical sidepod inlets, a development of the previous concept. When he switches to a GT3 car like the Ferrari 296 GT3, the platform is entirely different—a front-engined, turbocharged V6 production-based car with Balance of Performance adjustments. The “car” is thus a suite of specific technical solutions tailored to a rule set.

[JoshuaLynn]

Forget F1 for a second. If you saw a headline “Verstappen crashes car at Nürburgring,” that was his Ferrari 296 GT3. That’s the car he drives for fun, when he’s not obligated to be in the Red Bull.

He rents a spot with a top team like Emil Frey Racing, gets in the cockpit, and races it in a 24-hour marathon. It’s raw, it’s dangerous, and he loves it. He’s also been in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. These are the “cars” he chooses to drive for pure challenge, away from the F1 spotlight. They’re real, road-derived machines. So, which car? On a random weekend, it could be a bright green Ferrari GT3.

[JosephineFitz]

Let’s talk about his garage. I’m into car collecting, so this fascinates me. Max owns wild machines. The crown jewel is arguably the Aston Martin Valkyrie—a road car born from F1 tech, co-developed by his Red Bull boss’s design team. It doesn’t get more meta than that.

Then there’s the Ferrari Monza SP2, an open-top speedster with no windshield. He’s owned a brutal Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a driver’s car through and through. These choices tell you what he values: extreme performance, tactile feedback, and racing pedigree. He doesn’t just own status symbols; he owns experiences. So when he’s not working, the “car” he drives might be a million-dollar, V12 Aston Martin hypercar that sounds like his day job. It’s an extension of his racing identity.