Being the son of a former F1 driver, Max Verstappen developed a love for sport very early in his life. He started visiting the paddocks to see his dad race as early as when he was 2 years old. Soon he took up karting and ever since then Jos mentored him to be the great racer he is today.

Max Verstappen never shies away from talking about his father’s taskmaster approach. Jos made Max drive in heavy rain even when races would get abandoned. He would even fit his kart with older tires to teach him how to take care of them in races. While sometimes his way of expression would be tough, Max acknowledges it was the treatment he needed.

Max Verstappen opens up on being part of a motorsport family

We recently came across a video of Max Verstappen going out on a drive in a Porsche with his sister and father. The trio took turns riding the car on a track in Barcelona in 2020. Verstappen Jr. opened up on being part of a motor racing family and how riding on the track with them is like going to a theme park for him.

He said, “We’re a motorsport family, this is normal for us. For some people, it’s normal to go to a theme park. For me, this is a theme park.” [Translated using YouTube captions]

Max, after going first, gave his dad some pointers on how to go about on different parts of the track. Jos recalled how things used to be the other way around not too long ago. He told, “Max explains me how to drive. 6 years ago it was the other way around, but then you see the steps he takes as a person, it’s unbelievable. Yesterday I said, ‘come drive some laps with me’. How much he knows is really unbelievable. I have raced but I don’t do it anymore and I don’t want to but Max evolves as a driver and as a person and that’s beautiful to see.”

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Max sat in the passenger seat with his sister Victoria when she took the Porsche for a spin. He however admitted he does not give her any pointers because she does not like it and drives the way she likes.

Max Verstappen thinks he deserved the treatment his father gave him

Max Verstappen recently opened up on a 2012 incident that saw him miss out on a championship because of a crash. While driving back home, Jos did not want to talk to his son. Max, however, kept talking, which made Jos drop him at the next gas station, several miles away from home. He later came back to pick him up.

Speaking with GQ on the incident, Max said, “I mean, it sounds horrible. Like, it sounds a bit horrible. Like, some people probably cannot deal with that kind of behavior, but I needed it. I was that type of character, probably, who needed this kind of treatment.”

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Whatever Jos did, it made his son the champion racer he is today. We can at least say that after the record-breaking season he’s just had.