Max Verstappen has once again shown that heroes don’t just exist on the racetrack. In a moving and little-known story, the three-time Formula 1 world champion secretly canceled his entire racing schedule to fulfill the dying wish of a seriously ill boy. His actions afterward brought tears to the eyes of medical staff, the boy’s family—and to the thousands of fans worldwide who eventually saw the story.
Eleven-year-old Elias from Innsbruck, Austria, was suffering from a rare and aggressive brain tumor. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and doctors gave him only weeks to live. Despite his illness, Elias remained positive and combative – with one big dream: to meet his idol, Max Verstappen. Elias followed every race, knew the onboard radios by heart, and always wore a Red Bull Racing cap, even during his chemotherapy.
His parents contacted Verstappen’s team through a foundation, without much expectation. But what happened next was beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Max Verstappen canceled—without informing the press—his entire schedule for preparations for a promotional F1 weekend in Asia. Instead, he boarded a private flight to Austria, without cameras, without press, just his manager and a small gift under his arm.
At the hospital, he met Elias. The boy was speechless when Verstappen entered his room. The two spoke for over an hour. Max took his time, listening to Elias’s stories about his favorite races, joking with him over team radios, and handing him an original Red Bull helmet with a personal message: “To my brave champion – keep racing, your way.”
But what happened next deeply affected everyone. Just before leaving, Max quietly asked the doctors and parents if he could give Elias one last thing. The next day, he had a special simulator delivered to the hospital at his own expense, just like the one Elias had once described in an interview as “my dream.” Max had instructed his team to give him the same settings as his own training simulator in Monaco. That evening, Elias drove his “first Grand Prix” with Max Verstappen at his side – virtual, but lifelike.
The story only came out weeks later, after Elias died shortly afterward. His parents shared it with the permission of Verstappen, who initially didn’t want it to be public.
“Max gave our son a smile we’ll never forget,” said Elias’s mother. “He wasn’t a racer that day, he was a friend.”
To the outside world, Max Verstappen is a tough champion. But for those who know his story, he’s much more than that. A true human being. A true hero.
