Max Verstappen is known as one of the best drivers on the grid today. He and Red Bull put an end to the long Championship run of Mercedes. But Max did not have a normal childhood while growing up.
Max Verstappen was born into a racing family in Belgium. Although he was born in Belgium, he races under the Dutch flag as he was raised there. He is the son to ex-Formula 1 driver, Jos Verstappen. He made his debut in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso and later made his move to Red Bull by replacing Daniil Kvyat.
Jos Verstappen’s controversial parenting style
Born into a racing family, Max Verstappen was competitive by nature, and Jos Verstappen did not let him think otherwise. Jos Verstappen made it hard for Max when it came to expectations. Jos demanded victory in every race, and no matter what Max did, it was not enough.
“My dad never said I was gonna be a champion,” Max Verstappen told Channel 4 last year. “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 realize that what I was doing at the time was not enough.”
Racing runs in the Verstappen blood, even so, Max found it very difficult to meet his father’s expectations. Once Jos Verstappen abandoned Max at a gas station after he lost a race. He would then circle back later, but they both didn’t say a word throughout that road trip back home.
Jos Verstappen has been criticized by many people for being a bad and unfair father to Max. There is no doubt that Jos Verstappen’s parenting style was out of the ordinary. But it certainly seems to have worked for Max Verstappen. Max has already won 2 World Championships and is on his way to achieving more.
Jos Verstappen was asked about his parenting during an interview, to which he replied: “There are people who say I’m a bad father because I abused my child, I never abused him!” “I raised him, I was hard on him. That was my plan, many people cannot imagine what it takes to reach the absolute top level of a sport.”
“I’m normally not a guy who really likes to open up about these kinds of things, but I think it does give you a bit more of an insight into how everyone lived through that period.” “I know I’m not the easiest person to work with and I demanded a lot from Max,” Jos admits. “But he was able to endure it all. He has always been mentally very strong.”
Jos Verstappen was definitely hard on Max, but he never abused him or hurt him. Max understood his father’s parenting style and coped with it. He has now become a very successful driver in Formula 1.
Max Verstappen on raising his future children
Although Max Verstappen is grateful to his dad for helping him in his racing career, when asked how Verstappen would raise his future children, he said: “I do think I would do it differently than how my father and I handled it.” “I don’t really see that at the moment. But for me, it’s easy to talk because I don’t have kids. Maybe I will think very differently when the time comes. But, the passion he (Jos Verstappen) had went a long way.”
Max then went on to say: “He did everything for me. Tuning engines, preparing karts. I don’t see myself doing that. Anyway, I’m not going to push my kids to race. They have to want it themselves.” “And if you do go for it with your son or daughter, I don’t think you can drive Formula 1 yourself anymore. You have to start laying the groundwork from the age of four. I want to be there myself.”
Max Verstappen does want children in his future, however, he would prefer his child to have a normal childhood and not be forced into anything (not that Max was forced into racing).
Verstappen is currently dating Kelly Piquet who already has a child with another Formula 1 driver. Max has been acting as a stepfather to Piquet’s daughter, Penelope Kvyat. The two have shared some adorable moments on social media and during some of Verstappen’s live streams of Sim Racing.
Max has stated that he does want to have his own children in the future. Although racing is Max Verstappen’s profession, he has stated that he looks to do other things to enjoy his life as he did not get to enjoy the normal things as a child. Max’s partner Penelope has helped in providing stability in his life with the presence of her and her daughter.
Verstappen has threatened to quit Formula 1 recently after the changes to the Sprint Weekend were proposed earlier this year. But right now, Max Verstappen has a contract that extends till the 2028 season by which time he will be 31 years old. We could see Max retire from the sport to spend some time with his family and make new memories.