Max Verstappen reveals ruthless dad Jos NEVER told him he’d become F1 champion and instead predicted he’d end up as a BUS DRIVER… with tough love approach seeing the Dutchman once left abandoned at a petrol station aged 15 after a defeat
- Max Verstappen reveals brutal methods his father used to drive him to success
- Father, Jos told Dutchman he’d only be good enough to be a bus driver
- The 24-year-old was once left at a petrol station by father in act of tough love
- Verstappen’s father is a former F1 driver who raced during the 1990s and 2000s
Max Verstappen has revealed he was told by his father that he’d never be a Formula One champion and that he was only good enough to be a bus driver, in the tough love approach that also saw the Dutchman once abandoned at a petrol station.
The 24-year-old rose to the top of F1 last year, when he became one of the youngest champions in history, and is again leading the way in this season’s standings.
It’s an achievement that’s already usurped his father Jos Verstappen, who took part in over 100 F1 races from 1994-2003 but only managed to make the podium on three occasions.
Max Verstappen has revealed the tough love approach his father Jos (left) used on him
The Red Bull driver credits his father with playing a big part in his success as F1 champion
Verstappen is on course to retain his championship with six wins so far this season
However, Verstappen credits his father with inspiring him to be the driver he is today, even if his unorthodox methods during his karting days included Jos’ prediction that his son would end up as just a bus driver.
‘My Dad never said I was going to be a champion,’ Verstappen Jr told David Coulthard on Channel 4.
‘He was always the opposite, he’d tell me I was gonna be a truck driver or like a bus driver. He was always, in a good way I think, making me realise that what I was doing at the time was not enough.’
It’s another chapter from Verstappen’s upbringing and methods used but his father that has become the make-up of the current world champion.
Jos Verstappen (left) competed in over 100 F1 races, but only finished on three podiums
Max celebrates winning in Abu Dhabi last year, the victory that secured the F1 Championship
Previously he had spoke of one incident that seen him left behind at a petrol station in Italy, as a result of his father fuming over a spin which had cost him a world championship, just a few weeks before he turned 15.
Recalling the story to ESPN, the Dutchman said. ‘I’ve never seen my dad like that. He literally grabbed the go-kart and just threw it into the van. Of course, when we sat in the van, I wanted to talk to my dad about the incident. My dad said, “stop talking, I don’t want to hear anything, just sit in the back, I don’t want to hear anything about it”.
‘But of course, I kept on trying to have a conversation until at one point he pulled off at a fuel station and said: “Get out. Get out and I do not want to hear you anymore.” So he kicked me out and he drove off… and this is in the south of Italy.’
‘Luckily, my mum was there as well, so I called my mum and she was behind us on the motorway, so like five minutes later, she arrived. We were about to drive off and then my dad returned with the van and was like: “Get in, but I do not want to hear a word.” Because my dad was with his at-the-time girlfriend, for sure she talked to him and said “you cannot do that”.’
Verstappen currently leads the way in the F1 championship, 34 points ahead of second-place Sergio Perez. He’ll hope to extend that lead this weekend when he competes in the Austrian Grand Prix, a track where he’s enjoyed four wins out of the last six races.
