Max Verstappen is on course to becoming one of the most triumphant Formula 1 drivers of all time, having won two world championship titles at the age of 25 and on the verge of making it three in the coming months. And behind the Dutchman’s glorious F1 career stands his father, Jos Verstappen, who was inarguably a crucial factor in molding his son into a ‘world champion’ material.
Verstappen Jr., more often than not, admitted that his father was extremely stringent and always leaned toward harsh treatment for the two-time world champion, back in his karting years. Of course, there’s the story of Jos leaving Max behind at a service station after failing to win a karting world cup. But, here’s a story that’s even more unusual and is still having its effect on the Red Bull driver.
Bizarrely enough, Verstappen has built a sense of aversion toward neck pads over the years, despite the buffer proving to be a massive protector from muscle strains, possibly triggered by the high G-forces. However, his father’s derogatory definition of neck pads has somehow hindered Verstappen from going anywhere near neck pads even in times of need.
Verstappen further admitted that he was most likely the only driver who did not use neck padding throughout the race weekend at Mugello in 2020.
Max Verstappen slams Jos Verstappen’s awry comment on neck padding
The two-time world champion publicly admitted that his father used to call neck padding with a rather crude term. “I was just getting started in Formula Renault testing and I got invited for an F3 test and it was a lot tougher,” he said according to Express.
“After a few runs I could not keep my head up. I needed padding on the sides in Valencia and because it was anti-clockwise it made it even worse. Normally you’re used to clockwise tracks and your neck is used to that. My dad called it a ‘p**** pad’.
“Since that day, I refuse to use it. In 2020 we arrived at Mugello and nobody really knew how heavy it was going to be, some drivers had already put the padding in. The team asked me if I want padding as well and I said: ‘Even if my head falls off, I am not using that ever again.’”
Interestingly though, Verstappen has often thanked his father for propelling him to the top of the pecking order at Red Bull as well as the entire Formula 1 grid. Hence, will Verstappen eventually go on to become the greatest F1 driver of all time? Only time will tell.