Max Verstappen was clearly unhappy after qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, with the Red Bull driver suggesting that problems within the team have been costing him strong results for years. However, it was what happened after he climbed out of his car that quickly became the bigger talking point online.
A video circulating on social media appeared to show a brown mark on the back of Verstappen’s race suit, leading some fans to speculate that the four-time world champion had actually “shat himself” after getting out of the car. So, was it really what fans thought it was, or was there another explanation for the mark? We have fact-checked it for you to find out whether Max Verstappen actually shat himself or got burned.
Max Verstappen ‘Shat Himself’ at Monza? Fact-Checking the Viral Claim
A clip from Italian Grand Prix qualifying at Monza has gone viral after cameras appeared to capture a dark mark across the back of a Red Bull race suit as the driver climbed out of the cockpit. Social media users quickly linked the footage to Max Verstappen, with some joking that the Red Bull star had lost control of more than just his car. Others have suggested the mark could have been caused by fluid, equipment from a mechanic or even a mechanical leak at the rear of the car.
People are posting this clip, claiming F1 driver Max Verstappen shat himself (literally) during qualifying at Monza yesterday
While drivers sometimes “let nature take its course” and urinate in their suits, they rarely, if ever, go further
That hasn’t stopped fans from calling…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 6, 2026
There has been no official explanation from Red Bull or Verstappen confirming what caused the stain, although its appearance has led some viewers to believe it could be a burn mark. The lack of clarity has only fueled speculation online, with users sharing the footage while claiming that Verstappen “shat himself” during qualifying at Monza.
While drivers have occasionally admitted to urinating in their race suits during a Grand Prix when there is no opportunity to stop, going any further is extremely uncommon. That has not stopped fans from turning the viral moment into a joke, with some even giving Verstappen the nickname “Max Shatstappen.”
Max Verstappen Reveals Red Bull Rear-Axle Issue After Difficult Italian GP Qualifying
Max Verstappen has revealed a recurring mechanical problem that Red Bull will now need to investigate after a difficult qualifying session at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. The Dutchman had looked promising earlier in the weekend after finishing inside the top three in FP3, but he was unable to carry that pace into qualifying and ended the session in sixth. Verstappen raised concerns with his race engineer about an issue at the rear of the car and later explained that it had surfaced at several points throughout the weekend. “In FP3, we actually had a very good improvement overnight,” Verstappen said. “The car was in a much better window, but we didn’t really touch the car too much going into qualifying.
Verstappen said he once again felt something was going wrong mechanically with the rear axle, although he stressed that the problem was not related to the rear wing. “I suddenly had a feeling that something failed on the rear axle again, not the wing, but something else mechanically, which we have to look into again. “It’s not the first time this happened, but it happened at random times over the weekend. “Unfortunately, now it happened at the most important part.” His qualifying challenge was made more difficult when teammate Liam Lawson failed to reach Q3, meaning Verstappen had no tow to work with in the final session. Lawson had been impeded by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in Q2, with Piastri subsequently handed a three-place grid penalty.
Even without the tow, Verstappen believes the recurring mechanical issue would have made it difficult to improve his position. “When you have these kind of problems, it becomes super difficult to drive,” he said. “The car is not compliant anymore when it should [be] over bumps and kerbs, and that’s just costing lap time. “I actually thought that with how the car was responding in FP3, I didn’t think I was fighting for pole, but it was quite a comfortable car to drive for once. That was actually really nice but unfortunately we picked up another problem.”
