Max Verstappen’s former boss has dropped a bomb about his father. The three-time World Champion comes from a racing family headed by former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. To ensure his son’s success, Jos stayed with Max throughout his junior racing career. Even now, the 52-year-old frequently appears in the Red Bull pits, watching over Verstappen’s racing. However, the constant support that the former teammate of Michael Schumacher gave to his son sometimes ended up doing more damage than helping things.

Dutch businessman Frits van Amersfoort is a prominent name in the junior leagues of racing. His team, Van Amersfoort Racing, was home to Max Verstappen when the Dutch lion was racing in Formula 3. In fact, it was also the team for which Max’s dad Jos had raced back in his time. Thus, van Amersfoort has seen how the current Red Bull Champ has risen through the ranks. In fact, he has also been the boss of another bright talent who currently shines in Formula 1–Charles Leclerc. Since Max and Charles are contemporaries, the latter replaced the Dutch prodigy at Van Amersfoort Racing in 2015.

Having worked with both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, van Amersfoort had some interesting details to share. He spoke about how Jos sometimes intervened in the decisions that his son should have handled. F1 Maximaal quoted Frits saying, “With Charles, you had much more one-on-one [interaction], and with Max, Jos was always there. That is, of course, also the strength of those two [the Verstappens]. I think that is still the case now. In 2014, it was absolutely the case that Jos decided.”

Dropping a huge bomb on Jos and Max’s filial relationship, van Amersfoort also said, “We have also had clashes often. Between Jos and the team, and also between Jos and Max.” Then, Frits van Amersfoort described the time when his team suddenly had to cope with enormous fanfare because the Max got into F1. So, what did the F2 and F3 team boss have to say?

Dutch racing team boss recalls a “special” year with Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen’s rise to Formula 1 is an unusual journey that not every racer lives through. The Dutchman has never raced in F2 even though the normal route for any driver is to graduate into F1 after succeeding in all the junior leagues first. At just 17, Red Bull recognized his talent, picked him up from van Amersfoot’s F3 team, and gave him a seat at Toro Rosso. So, Max Verstappen became an overnight sensation as public scrutiny fell on him.

Recounting that time, Frits said, “The year with Max was of course a very special year because we also experienced the whole situation surrounding it.” However, too much public scrutiny can be distracting for anyone in the racing world. Frits van Amersfoort did not enjoy all the extra attention that came with Max Verstappen. He said, “With Charles, it [the public scrutiny] was less, but that also made it more pleasant to work with Charles than with Max.”

Unlike Max, Charles Leclerc adapted a more tried and tested way to step up into Formula 1. He won the GP3 series as well as the F2 Championship. And then, he was offered a seat at Sauber in 2018. Both racers whom Frits van Amersfoort has worked with, are now top contenders for the F1 Championship. While Leclerc’s footing has slipped a little with some disappointing finishes, Verstappen has maintained his lead in the points table.

Who, among these two talents, do you think should win the 2024 F1 World Championship and why? Share in the comments.