When Jos Verstappen debuted in F1 in 1994, he arrived with a baggage of promises. Just like all drivers, he too wanted to become the world champion. Jos’s excellent results in the junior formulas were optimistic. However, his career remained in the limbo of eternal implicit dreams. So, following his retirement, he invested his entire being- body and soul into creating the beast we see now- Max Verstappen.

However, these stories from Verstappen’s childhood aren’t as playful as one would expect. Jos always took a harsh stance in dealing with his son. From leaving ‘Mini Max’ at a gas station because he didn’t win a karting race to calling him a loser- Verstappen Sr. did it all. Nonetheless, the father-son duo has always been close, thanks to Max’s motorsport training and journey.

Now a dad himself, Max Verstappen doesn’t want to be the ‘Jos Verstappen’ to his son in the future. How would the ‘Flying Dutchman behave with his future kid? Would he do as Jos did? These interesting questions were posed to the champion by the Belgians at RTBF. To which, the Red Bull star replied: “It’s difficult to say. We’ll have to find out how good he is. If he’s talented, I’ll help him, but in general, I’ll encourage him to choose what he likes best. But above all, I would advise him not to pursue a career in motorsport!”

Despite his love for motorsport, Verstappen doesn’t want his son to pursue it as a career. Maybe he fears, his son would meet the same fate as Max in his early years. To put it simply: Max might be fearing he’d turn into Jos Verstappen if his son were to choose motorsport. But seeing the Dutchman with Kelly Piquet‘s daughter, it’s hard to believe we’d see a strict Max around his kid(s)!

Max Verstappen turns off his tough mode around Penelope Piquet

You will often find cute and hilarious clips on social media of Max Verstappen and his relationship with Penelope, the daughter of his girlfriend Kelly Piquet and Daniil Kvyat. It’s become impossible to not laugh or smile on seeing the 26-year-old F1 giant and the tiny 6-year-old bonding. For the world, the 3x champ is ‘Max Verstappen’, ‘Mad Max’, or ‘Max the Axe’, but for Baby P, he’s her ‘Maxie’.

However, Verstappen wishes to never be the father figure for Penelope. He feels it is of utmost importance for the child to know and bond with her biological father- Daniil Kvyat. Moreover, Max finds the little girl very cute and playful. You’ll find her appearing in Max Verstappen’s livestreams. She’s either planting kisses on his cheeks or patting his head. Max becomes a ‘softie’ around P. The duo is so adorable, that you’d fail to not say ‘awww’!

Ultimately it all comes down to what Verstappen wants for his children or Penelope at the moment. He surely doesn’t want to imitate his father and inflict the same pressure he felt all those years ago. Moreover, Max Verstappen knows and understands how burdening expectations can be, and thus, he wants to be on the safe side with his kid in the future. Do you think Max’s thoughts are right? Let us know in the comments below.