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MONTMELO, SPAIN: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing talks with his father Jos Verstappen in the garage during day three of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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MONTMELO, SPAIN: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing talks with his father Jos Verstappen in the garage during day three of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Max Verstappen has shown great potential from a very young age. And in 2021, he was finally able to lift his maiden world championship, beating Lewis Hamilton. This was his lifelong dream that he was working towards with his father, Jos.
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But in a recent interview ahead of the British Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed his father believed he would never become a world champion. The Red Bull driver also mentioned the reason his father never praised him in his early years.
“My dad never said I was going to e a champion. He was always the opposite. He would always tell me I was going to be a truck driver or a bus driver. Because he was always in a good way, I think you know, not pressure, but making me realize that what I was doing at the time was not enough…” said Verstappen.
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The young Dutch driver revealed that his father also gave him a valuable lesson growing up that has stayed with him.
Max Verstappen reveals the most important lesson his father taught him
The Red Bull driver is one of the most talented drivers to have ever driven a Formula One car. But his father taught him that his talent is not enough, and he has to continue to work hard to be successful.
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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – AUGUST 01: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and father Jos Verstappen walk in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2019, in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
“I was winning my races and stuff, but he said it’s not enough to be successful in Formula One. Because you can’t rely on your talent only to be the best.”
“And slowly, of course, throughout my go-karting career, you start to understand that and work harder for it. I think still to my dad’s liking getting all the way to Formula 1, I still didn’t work hard enough in his eyes,” said the Red Bull driver.
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It is interesting to see how Jos keeps his son grounded despite so much success. This can very well be the key reason behind the neutral approach of the Dutch driver to success as well as failures in F1. It is also nice to see that Verstappen still follows the same lessons to this very day.
