“Nothing. Just an inchident on the race.” Remember this iconic line from Charles Leclerc back in 2012? He was racing Max Verstappen in a karting championship, and their tussle got a little out of hand. While Leclerc called it “just an inchident,” it was a different story on Verstappen’s side. The then-14-year-old Dutchman said, “No, he’s just unfair. I’m leading, he wants to pass, he pushed me, I pushed him back. And after, he pushed by off the track. It’s not fair, right?” Growing up, Verstappen became attuned to the fact that he had no option other than to win. Who ingrained that into his brain? His father, Jos Verstappen.

“My dad never said I was going to be a champion. He was the opposite. He would tell me I was going to be a truck driver.” Jos Verstappen—who was an F1 driver from 1994 to 2003—saw the potential in Max when he was a kid. Tough love was his way of guiding Max to success. As formidable as that mindset has made the now-three-time champion, his father’s taskmaster approach was questionable, to say the least. But now, Jos has defended it.

Jos’ approach was crucial for Max Verstappen

It’s like Max Verstappen was born to be a racer. Aside from his father, his mother, Sophie Kumpen, was a karting champion too. So when Verstappen took a liking toward driving when he was pretty young, his father went in all guns blazing. Max started karting before he turned 5, and Jos made it his life’s mission to make his son the best driver in the world. Ever wonder why Verstappen is so good in wet-weather conditions? When all the other kids packed up their karts when it rained, Jos ensured Max stayed and practiced. 

In an interview with TIME, the Verstappen father-son duo opened up about just how hard Max had to work as a kid. Max revealed,  “Sometimes he thought I was a bit lazy. I definitely had arguments with my dad about it.” And who can forget the gas station story? Need a reminder? TIME reported, “When Max was 14, another driver passed him in a race near Naples. Instead of waiting to take back the lead, he tried a riskier move and crashed himself out of the race. Jos was furious. On the way home, Jos stopped at a gas station and left Max before turning around to pick him up. He didn’t speak to Max for a week.” All Max wanted was to talk to Jos about the race, but his father was having none of it.

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Pushing Max to his limit, demeaning him, undermining him—that was how Jos Verstappen functioned. That’s how he molded Max into the driver he is. As per Jos, he never hit Max, apart from once. “He tells TIME he hit him just once—on the helmet, before a race in England. ‘He needed that,’ says Jos, who points out that Max won that one.” There’s no doubt Jos has played a crucial role in his son’s career. Considering all that Max Verstappen has achieved throughout his motorsport career, you would think his father would be happy with all the effort they put in. Turns out, that isn’t the case.

Read More: “Jos Projected His Own Failures”: Fans Left Disgusted as Max Verstappen’s Dad Gives Reasoning to Defend His Tough Love

Max Verstappen could’ve worked harder, per his father

Max Verstappen is all of 26. After joining F1 in 2015, he already has 96 podiums to his name, 52 of which featured him on the top step. This year alone, he’s broken record after record. At the Italian GP, he broke the record for most consecutive wins with a magnificent streak of 10. After winning the Brazilian GP, the Red Bull driver now has a record 17 wins in 2023. All this wouldn’t have come without Verstappen putting in his absolute all while making his way to F1. Even so, there’s still a nagging feeling in him that he didn’t give everything he had. And it’s courtesy of his father.

In an interview a while ago, Verstappen talked about his upbringing and working with Jos to get to F1. Considering his father’s taskmaster approach, Max had to stick to a strict schedule. He revealed, “He was always making me realize that what I was doing at the time was not enough. I was winning my races but he said it’s not enough to be successful in Formula 1. You can’t rely on your talent only to be the best.” He then said how his father views his path to the pinnacle of motorsport. “Still, to my dad’s liking, getting all the way to Formula 1, I didn’t work hard enough in his eyes.” 

Watch This Story: Max Verstappen: ‘Is my title tarnished? Not at all. I really deserved it’

What’s your take on how his father treated Max Verstappen as a kid?