Max Verstappen raves about the HondaJet Elite II and even compares it to his own brand-new 58 million private jet
Max Verstappen has once again caused a stir. This time, it wasn’t on the race track, as was the case last weekend when he competed on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but in a chic private jet. In a new video from Honda Global, the four-time Formula 1 world champion was given the opportunity to take a closer look at the brand-new HondaJet Elite II in Italy. The Red Bull star was visibly enthusiastic:
“I could get used to this,” Verstappen grinned. Alongside jet captain Robin Balen, Verstappen studied the extraordinary business jet with its engines mounted above the wings. This design provides more space in the cabin and less vibration. “They have about the same power as a Formula 1 engine at start-up,” explained Balen.
Verstappen nodded appreciatively and commented, “I like the solution, it’s something special.” Looking at the nose of the jet, he joked, “It almost looks like a bullet.”
The Dutchman was also impressed by the cockpit: “Fewer buttons… that’s really advanced. Really cool,“ said Verstappen, before concluding: ”I could get used to this.”
Verstappen is already very familiar with luxury aircraft. He recently purchased a new private jet: a Dassault Falcon 8X with the registration PH-UTL. According to media reports, it cost around $58 million. His old jet, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, which he acquired in 2020 from Virgin billionaire Richard Branson, was put up for sale in March. Verstappen’s new aircraft even has its own Instagram account dedicated to it by a fan who tracks and documents the aircraft’s movements using the Flightradar24 platform.
However, the HondaJet Elite II is significantly smaller than Verstappen’s current aircraft. With a range of around 2,800 kilometers and a cruising speed of around 780 km/h, it is in a completely different league to the Falcon 8X, which can cover over 18,000 kilometers.
It remains to be seen whether Verstappen will really want to become a Honda customer in the future. One thing is certain: the relationship between the world champion and Honda will soon come to an end. At the end of the season, the Japanese manufacturer will leave the Red Bull project and switch to Aston Martin as an engine partner in 2026. Red Bull will then rely on its own in-house engines in collaboration with Ford.