Max Verstappen has been infamous for his attacking driving style for a long time. Though, recently, he has adopted some caution in his driving, the two-time world champion was often lamented as reckless for his mistakes despite being so talented in his initial days.
Now, Verstappen‘s mother, Sophie Kumpen, understands why his son is aggressive on the track. Coming from a racing family, the Red Bull superstar’s parents were professional race drivers in their heydeys.
Kumpen reveals that when she was in her karting days, she tended to go aggressive on track at the slightest of challenges. She also confessed that it was easy for her to get angry on the track.
Max Verstappen inherited it
In the documentary released by Viaplay, Kumpen talks about her son’s driving. She admits that several qualities have been inherited by the 25-year-old driver, including aggressive driving.
“In my racing, if you made me angry, I could be very aggressive,” revealed Kumpen. “His dad [Jos Verstappen] had this too. If you mainly combine the goodness that Jos had and my good stuff, then that makes Max special.”
Kumpen credits herself and her ex-husband Jos for giving the two-time world champion good genes but also claims that beyond genes, it’s only Max who has to perform. Indeed, he is doing well in that regard, as he already has 37 wins in his name.
Preparing for the third title
The 2023 season start couldn’t have been any better for Verstappen. Out of the first three races, he sealed victory in two of them. His exploits also allowed him to amass 69 points from all his outings this season.
Next weekend, F1 is traveling to Azerbaijan for the fourth round of the calendar. It will be this year’s first sprint race weekend with somewhat of an evolved format.
F1, with the new format, wants to add more action to the weekend for the viewers. So, there could be more risks that Verstappen would wish to avoid and maintain his 14 points lead against his biggest threat this year- his own teammate Sergio Perez.
But in reality, Perez isn’t seen as a significant hurdle for Verstappen for several experts if drawn them together over a year. So, the Dutchman is already expected to clinch another victory next week, and the title before winter comes.
