Max Verstappen is arguably a mercurial character. Some might say his attitude is borderline problematic. But it is a part and parcel of being a racing driver. The incessant pursuit of perfection and glory does take a toll on a man. That being said, it was one special person who, through his actions, made Verstappen realize the true path to F1 glory.

Jos Verstappen was himself a notorious character back in the day, when he too, like his son, would ply his trade in Formula 1. It’s also no secret that Jos was hard on his son in his early days, so Max could reach the zenith of the sport that he couldn’t. But back in 2015, a young Verstappen actually opened up about his relationship with his father.

Was Jos Verstappen really the tyrant people painted him as?

Verstappen told CNN, “To be honest, I don’t feel any pressure from my dad’s side just because we are really close to each other. We did everything together. When I was in go-karting, he was also my mechanic, my engine tuner, and we went to the races together.”

“We had a really close bond and I think that was very important, you know, to get success.”

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This isn’t the first time Verstappen has spoken out in defense of his father’s rather unconventional parenting. That being said, in hindsight, probably Verstappen needed that extra push to get him to the pinnacle of motorsport where he is right now.

Max Verstappen pushed Jos Verstappen to take drastic measures in his childhood

Max Verstappen is a sublime overtaker. But the man has his off days, too. With this, China 2018 comes to mind. What was he thinking going for that ridiculously late lunge on Sebastian Vettel down the inside? But it was to eliminate days like these, that father Jos Verstappen would some days do the unthinkable.

Max narrated a story to GQ about when he crashed while overtaking another driver in a karting race. He narrated what his father did afterward. He said, “I kept trying to get into a conversation with him about why I did it and what I thought of the situation. But then at one point he was like, ‘Max, if you don’t shut up now I’m kicking you out.’”

“And, of course, I didn’t think he would do that. So I kept on talking, trying to talk to him. Next fuel station he stops and he’s like, ‘Get out!”

“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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Do you agree with Max Verstappen? Or do you think Jos Verstappen went a bit too far with his tough-love attitude to make Verstappen excel in this sport?