When Max Verstappen Felt Embarrassed After Watching a Video From His Childhood

There was little doubt about Max Verstappen’s desire to make racing his life, even in his childhood. Being the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, he often appeared in documentaries that captured his father’s life off the track. Interestingly, Verstappen was as straightforward and nonchalant with his language back then as he is today.

After making it to the promised land of F1, Verstappen once came across one such video while appearing on a Dutch talk show. It showed a very young Verstappen, with a messy hairstyle and casual attire, playing a racing game. He crashed into a wall and immediately reacted by cursing, as the F1 community has become so accustomed to seeing him do now.

“God damn it,” he said, with the video bleeping out his expletive. Everyone around him was startled, and little did he know that the whole world would eventually see the clip years later.

sorry mini max cursing saying “god damn it” is so funny pic.twitter.com/aOzi6iEnNz

— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) January 10, 2025

Verstappen, embarrassed on TV, was laughing at his own antics. When he saw the moment he cursed, his smiling and laughing reaction was absolutely priceless.

This was just one of the many instances of Verstappen’s eventful childhood caught on camera. While the Red Bull driver has since undergone extensive media training, becoming more diplomatic with his answers and more subdued in his reactions, his straightforwardness remains a cornerstone of his personality and continues to shine through.

The colorful side of Verstappen’s childhood

Racing is ingrained in Verstappen’s genes, with both his father and mother being part of that world. His competitiveness is certainly unparalleled today. This tendency to be ultra-competitive, even in gaming and sim racing, has always been present, even when competing against his father.

A 12-year-old Verstappen beat his dad by over 26 seconds in the F1 2009 game and didn’t miss the chance to boast about it afterward.

“I don’t think so, but I was expecting it myself. Because at home, the gap was even bigger. But my dad had practiced in the morning when I was at school,” he said, hinting that his father couldn’t beat him even after practicing more than him. Regardless, Jos always encouraged this trait of his son.

Another privilege Max enjoyed due to his father’s status as an F1 driver was the opportunity to meet some of the best drivers in the sport. One iconic photograph captures Michael Schumacher meeting Max when he was just two or three years old.

The edit the FIA made for Max

him as a baby with Michael Schumacher.. ❤️❤️pic.twitter.com/nsuAkSs2kC

— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) December 8, 2023

The Dutchman spent considerable time with Schumacher’s family during his childhood. Although he was too young to remember most of it in detail, the German driver’s brilliance may have influenced him.