Max Verstappen‘s dad Jos’ efforts to make him the best F1 driver in the world have gone in vain. But the same cannot be said about thousands of others, who also dream of success in the pinnacle of motorsports. Speaking from experience, Verstappen tells parents who want their children to get into racing, what not to do.
To get to F1, karting is the stepping stone. Almost every single F1 driver in recent history has gotten into single-seater racing via that route, including Verstappen. However, the Red Bull driver doesn’t want parents to push children into this world. Often, it is the former who is more passionate about racing than the kids themselves.
In an interview with DAZN, Verstappen said, “Don’t push them into it. They need to like it themselves. I see a lot of things that go wrong straight away where the parent has more passion than the kid.“
Max Verstappen’s advice for parents trying to get their kids into karting: “Don’t push them into it. They need to like it themselves. I see a lot of things that go wrong straight away where the parent has more passion than the kid”
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Of course, for Verstappen that isn’t the case, but the same has often been said about Lance Stroll’s career. Several sources, including F1 commentator David Croft, have stated in the past that the Aston Martin driver wanted to get into tennis professionally. His father Lawrence Stroll, however, was more into racing and wanted his son to realize his unfulfilled dream.
Lance did make it to F1 and has shown his brilliance on some occasions. But, his interest has often been a focal point of scrutiny, and the ‘pay driver’ tag doesn’t seem to leave him alone.
Verstappen, however, is a racer through and through. Not only is he 100% committed to winning races on the track, but he spends time trying to win events off it too.
Not every child will be like Max Verstappen
Verstappen’s father Jos is a former F1 driver and his mother Sophie Kumpen made waves in karting during her younger days. As a result, Verstappen grew around racing as a child, and fell in love with it at a young age. His father Jos, shared his learnings and inculcated them into Verstappen, which is what made him so successful.
However, not every child will be like Verstappen. For instance, his sister Victoria was also a gifted karting driver, but when she made other parts of their life a bigger priority, Jos didn’t force her to pursue racing.
Verstappen, meanwhile, has gone on to establish himself as one of F1’s greatest drivers ever. He has three World Championships under his belt and is the favorite to win his fourth by the end of this year.
