Max Verstappen Believes His Mother Could’ve Been the Next Best Thing- Until His Father Got In the Way

Sabyasachi Biswas | 22/01/2024
Max Verstappen Believes His Mother Could've Been the Next Best Thing- Until His Father Got In the Way

Max Verstappen belongs to a family of racers as both his parents have been actively involved in motorsports. The Dutchman got his first exposure driving when he was just two. He began by driving the electric off-roader before moving onto the petrol-powered go-kart at the age of four. By seven, he was already racing on a full-sized circuit.

Verstappen was presumably persuaded to drive at such a young age because of his familial background in racing. His father, Jos Verstappen, is a former Formula 1 driver who drove alongside the likes of Michael Schumacher.

Jos also played an instrumental role in shaping his son’s racing career by enforcing discipline in his life. The hardships for Max seemed to have paid off because of how good of a driver he has become today.

On the other hand, Max‘s mother, Sophie Kumpen, was also a renowned racer. She raced against the likes of 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button, and current Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. She was a very talented driver and had bright prospects until she got married to Jos Verstappen.

Speaking about this, the three-time world champion said as per The Times, “She was very good, but then she got married to my dad.” Nevertheless, Max Verstappen still owes his racing skills to his father.

Max Verstappen’s mother impressed lots of renowned figures in motorsport

As Max Verstappen continues to dominate the F1 grid, much of the credit goes to his mother who has already been a renowned motorsport driver during her time. Therefore, her accolades have also been very important in shaping the career of her world champion son. Sophie Kumpen was so quick that she earned the highest of praises from the biggest names in F1.

Eddie Jordan, a former F1 team boss, said in Formula For Success as per PlanetF1, “The only person I think that could have done that in my time is Max’s mum, because I think Max Verstappen’s mother was a serious, absolutely wonderfully quick girl and she could, without any question, have made it in my opinion in Formula 1.”

Jordan then concluded his remarks by stating that Kumpen did not get as much support as women should have received to make it to F1. The Irishman is adamant that the same needs to change moving forward.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Christian Horner Jos Verstappen Max Verstappen Sophie Kumpen

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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