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MAX VERSTAPPEN AND SERGIO PÉREZ WALKED DOWN THE AISLE IN A PUERTO VALLARTA BEACH
by Alexandra Macron
FEBRUARY 28TH, 2026
On a rainy December day in 2020, Formula 1 drivers Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen met for the first time as teammates for Red Bull Racing, one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history. “Simply as drivers, we actually met for the first time during the Australian Grand Prix in 2015, when I debuted.” Max laughs, wistful look in his eyes. “I was a kid, and he already had 5 years in Formula 1, so we never crossed paths beyond the track. I saw him as another older driver I had to beat and exchanged a few words with him here and there, but nothing further than motorsport talk.”
It seems like Max considers their first meeting as teammates in the Red Bull Racing headquarters back in Milton Keynes as their real first meeting. “Have you ever seen pictures of Checo’s smile? He has this Hollywood smile that even the straightest guys fall for!” Max reminisces. “I remember texting my best friend [Formula 1 Driver Lando Norris] right after having our first team meeting with Checo ‘I think I just fell in love.’ and he told me I was crazy, but I just knew somehow.”
Some time after, during 2021, Max and Sergio were hitting it off as teammates. While Sergio struggled to get the full potential out of their car, he still found a way to help Max get nearer his first championship and he was trying to adapt to a new team, so their season was hectic. “Things with Checo have always been as easy as breathing. Talking to him, sharing our marketing duties, racing side by side. I saw him more than my family, so it became routine.” Max recounts. “There were days when we both became frustrated with our races, but we had each other, so the bad days were less bad.”
Whilst getting nearer to the end of the 2021 season, the two drivers were turning simple jokes into flirtatious remarks and hugs were lingering more than necessary. Sergio invited Max to his Puerto Vallarta home during their summer break and the Dutch just couldn’t say no. “We spent our summer in the beach, pools and all the places Checo could show me in his home state. I instantly wanted to come back every year. It became my second home because of him and his family.” Max recalls. “We weren’t even dating yet and I got ‘the talk’ from his siblings. We still laugh about it to this day.”
They officially started dating right after Max won his first championship. Between parties, new expectations and negotiations on contracts, the couple was living in their honeymoon phase. “I knew that we would be under a microscope the moment our relationship got out in the media. They’re ruthless and we were already getting scrutinized after the [Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021] scandals. So, we decided to keep it a secret from the general public and fans.” Sergio says, adjusting his cap. “It worked as well as you can expect, but you know, problems are always one lap away.”
The famous Brazil Grand Prix 2022 incident was one of the biggest sports stories for a while, on the national media of both drivers’ countries and it took a big hit on their relationship as partners and teammates. “Despite that, believe it or not, I decided I wanted to marry him during the Honda Thanks Day that year.” Max flushes. “Checo was still mad at me, but when I decided to play with our feet because I felt awkward in our silence, he smiled at me and I fell in love all over again.”
Sergio told Max that he wanted to be the one proposing a year later, when they got the first 1-2 in the Driver’s Championship in Red Bull Racing’s history and their relationship got more serious. “I wanted my proposal to feel as magical as the first time we kissed. I wanted it to feel as if champagne was draining our racing suits and our national anthems were playing behind us. I wanted it to be a testament of how we found each other despite our setbacks and starkly different backgrounds. It needed to show how I never gave up on Max and Max never gave up on me.” Sergio tells Vogue.
With the help of Max’s sister, Victoria, and Sergio’s sister, Paola, Sergio went on the hunt for a perfect ring and place for his proposal. The place chosen mid 2024 was the backyard of Max’s family home in Belgium, decorated with blue and yellow tulips, flowers later used in their wedding, and each of them held a picture of memories they shared together, from their first 1-2 podium in Formula 1 to them skydiving in Italy, while the whole sky was illuminated by warm light bulbs. This was a private proposal, despite having the help of their families earlier that day, because Sergio knew Max wanted their special moment to be solely theirs. “After all the struggles we went through to be together, to have proof on my hand of the promises we made each other, it was one of the happiest days of my life.” Max sighs.
Almost two years later, the wedding was held on the weekend of February 21st, 2026, at a private Puerto Vallarta beach while the party was held at a nearby estate. “The beach contains our happiest memories.” Max comments. “While we grew up in two different continents and eras, the beach holds our loveliest childhood memories for both of us, and it saw us fall in love. Even though we only spent our summers here because of our tight work schedules, we made sure to make the most of it, away from our jobs and the people. If I could mark our initials on sand and permanently leave them there, I would.”
However, even when they’re considered some of the best paid athletes in the world, Sergio and Max almost “handmade” their wedding. They had both Mexican and Dutch vendors, of course, but both of their families and friends were involved in the process of picking and choosing with them the details of their special day. “We’ve been away from them for so long, we travel all around the world for most of the year and when we’re with them, we’re always missing each other.” Sergio adds. “We thought that, since we will be all together in the same place for the first time, we could use their help and turn our wedding into a way for our families to meet and have fun. It’s a day for us to share our happiness with them.”
For their rehearsal dinner, Sergio and Max wore custom Tom Ford tuxedos, slightly altered to be more casual than their wedding attire. Max had Sergio’s “Never Give Up” motto embroidered inside his coat while Sergio had Max’s “Keep Pushing The Limits”. Their hair, keeping the hair gel away, held an air of freshness you could only see if they were away running in the beach all day.
The couple wasn’t picky about the overall aesthetic of their whole wedding weekend, but they knew they wanted the guests to feel like they were vacationing in the most luxurious beach hotel in Mexico, while keeping the prominent colors blue and yellow throughout flowers, tablecloths, lights, drinks, and many more details. “The objetive was for all our guests to have fun and celebrate our love, but still relax by the beachside, piña colada in hand.” Max says.
When one of Sergio’s closest friends, Fernando Alonso [Formula 1 Driver], suggested ideas on how to make the wedding even more personal for their guests, Sergio and Max took it in stride. Tablecloths with quotes and jokes of each of their guests, cocktails named after their most special race wins and stations where you could get your hair done, get temporary tattoos or get Mexican snacks, resembling Mexican beaches made the atmosphere even more fun. “Christian [Red Bull Racing’s team principal] suggested we hired drones to give a show for everybody, since it was a tradition done in our team parties, and that’s how we ended up with drones and fireworks covering the sky of our wedding reception and scaring some of the kids.” Sergio laughs.
When it comes to their wedding fashion, Sergio and Max didn’t hesitate in choosing Ralph Lauren. “Really, we are simple men when it comes to fashion. All our life has been about racing, facing the media and trying to enjoy the bits and pieces of free time we have with each other and our families. That way, both of us knew we wanted something classic, but timeless and custom, that represents our lives and our connection with each other.” Sergio smiles, hand intertwined with his husband’s.
Contacting the Ralph Lauren team wasn’t hard when two of biggest names in modern motorsport were knocking on their door. When sketches of their tuxedos came into the drivers’ hands, Sergio and Max could really see their wedding coming to life before their eyes and tears were not missing. “I was a bit emotional, I admit. I never thought that when Checo signed with us, he would become something more than a teammate after all the experiences I had before. Seeing those sketches, hearing about how the puzzle of our wedding was coming together, it was a process, even if tedious, of an experience I would live all over again with him.” Max nods.
Sergio’s and Max’s tuxedos were a classic black and white. On the sleeves, little handcuffs with the numbers 1 and 11 were added while Sergio’s favorite yellow was in Max’s pocket and Max’s favorite blue was in Sergio’s. No details about family heirlooms were seen in their looks, despite the heavy involvement of both of their families in the rest of the wedding experience. “We wanted ourselves to be just us and no one else’s.” Sergio says. “We know most of our married friends, along with their spouses, always added a little reminder of their families within themselves. However, Max and I have always been honest about wanting to be our true authentic selves on and off track, and that included our wedding.”
For their wedding bands, both drivers wanted something slick and simple to wear easily under their racing gloves without being uncomfortable. A simple gold band, engraved with I love you in their native languages for each other, Te amo in Max’s case and Ik hou van je in Sergio’s as a reminder that no matter the language barrier, their love could cross words, space and time. Diamonds were not needed when Max and Sergio consider that gold is enough to tie them together.
To match their wedding theme, Sergio and Max knew they wanted their guests’ attire to match the decoration and themselves, but comfortable enough to enjoy the beach and the party afterwards. “At first, I thought it would be funny to ask our guests to come in Red Bull colors, totally a choice suggested by one of my friends [Formula 1 Driver Daniel Ricciardo] and when we realized that it matched our theme perfectly, we decided to leave it as it was. At the end of the day, Red Bull Racing is the team that brought us together in the first place, so it went from a joke to something genuinely significant for us.” Max tells.
The ceremony itself wasn’t religious, despite Sergio and his family being devoted catholics. Sergio could pray before starting any race, but he knew he didn’t need the church to bless his marriage to Max for it to be real. God knew his love for Max was real every day and that was enough for him. Getting one of Max’s family friends to officiate their wedding wasn’t hard when their marriage was the motorsport highlight of the non-race weekend. “The speech was beautiful. I thought my mom’s friend was going to spoil my vows, since I had so much to say to Checo, but I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding.” Max says.
While standing in front of the sea, the wind moving the decorations back and forth, the sun high up in the sky and surrounded by their closest family members and friends, the couple were standing in front of each other saying their vows. “I knew I was going to choke up even before I started saying my vows to Max. I’m not the type to speak out loud about my feelings for my husband since I always kept them private for him to hear only, but standing in front of all our loved ones, saying how much we love each other, was the biggest win life could give me.” Sergio speaks.
“Life couldn’t be more amazing.” Max describes. “To see two families from different parts of the world gather for us, our friends who took time to come and celebrate, and ourselves in front of the place that watched us fall in love every year was truly a magical experience. If you told 22 year old me that Checo getting fired from Racing Point was about to change both of our lives, I would tell you to stop joking. On the day of our wedding, I started to believe there has always been an invisible string tying him to me.”
During the reception, the drivers assigned a special photographer to take pictures specifically for their guests to take home and reminisce about how much fun they had on their night. The husbands danced the night away while Carlos Rivera, singer and Sergio’s friend, sang their first dance song and Martin Garrix, DJ and Max’s friend, put life to the party in typical fashion for all the guests to enjoy with drinks and food that followed their beach aesthetic. From the music and decorations to the heartfelt speeches their families and friends shared throughout the night, everything in Sergio’s and Max’s wedding reception was completely theirs.
For a weekend, Sergio and Max knew heaven was a place on earth by each other’s side.