Max Verstappen’s father had a huge part to play in building up the aggressive racing mentality that Verstappen is known for. However, it is well known that Jos Verstappen often opted really harsh pathways to do so. It would be safe to say that Verstappen’s father is not really a popular figure among fans, and it became even more evident when fans trolled Verstappen for wishing his father on Father’s Day.
Jos Verstappen has been the subject of widespread criticism because of his parenting style. Throughout the years, the Dutchman has revealed various stories about his childhood where his father treated him harshly.
Emotions run high for Jos Verstappen as Max hits the barriers in qualifying 😬😧#SaudiArabianGP 🇸🇦 #F1 pic.twitter.com/hBrWXGusfd
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 4, 2021
Even though Verstappen claims that he himself is okay with it, fans haven’t really bought that. The fact that Jos Verstappen’s tough parenting has never sat well with fans is becoming even clearer because fans have taken to the internet to troll him once more.
Fans roast both the Verstappens
Max Verstappen took to Twitter to wish his old man a happy Father’s Day and express his gratitude towards him. He posted a picture of them laughing and captioned it “Cheers to more laughs together.”
However, the fans were having none of it. They absolutely annihilated Verstappen with their comments. Most of the reactions revolved around the famous gas station incident where Verstappen was left behind at a gas station by his father.
make sure not to go to another gas station
— lewis 🐝 (@bibleman069) June 18, 2023
One fan added, ‘and more gas station visits xx’ recalling the famous incident.
and more gas station visits xx https://t.co/itS6kFnQXq
— Vera ¹⁶ (@escapefrom_la) June 18, 2023
Twitter user Violet also brought up the same incident and twisted the caption to make it ‘Cheers to more visits to the gas station’
Cheers to more visits to the gas station https://t.co/7Vre7ouP3s
— violet (@Violetgotbagged) June 18, 2023
Another user, Rhys, took a funnier approach as he posted a meme about the gas station incident.
— Rhys Sullivan (@SulloRevival) June 18, 2023
Callum was more subtle with the dig he took. He simply posted a video of a gas station and said nothing more.
— Callum (@FyldeCal) June 18, 2023
Another user highlighted how Jos Verstappen has always demanded more from his son, even after he has achieved a lot.
Jos after Max wins by only 20 seconds instead of 30 seconds https://t.co/xlb8CG37uf pic.twitter.com/hUuSWrtn5k
— A55AD (@Bambaclaat1) June 18, 2023
The gas station incident of Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen’s gas station story is one of the many instances where he was punished really hard by his father. As per ESPN, Verstappen was left behind at a gas station by his father when he was a teenager after he had lost a karting race.
Verstappen explained that after missing out on the World Championship due to his own mistake, he wanted to talk to his dad and explain everything to him. But his father was not interested in talking and completely ignored him.
Verstappen said, “I kept on trying to have a conversation until at one point he pulled off at a fuel station and said: ‘Get out. Get out and I do not want to hear you anymore. So he kicked me out and he drove off.”
🗣️ | Jos Verstappen denies he ‘abused’ Max:
“There are people who say I’m a bad father because I abused my child, I never abused him!”
“I raised him, I was hard on him. That was my plan, many people cannot imagine what it takes to reach the absolute top level of a sport.” pic.twitter.com/xaXW1Hd5eS
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) April 5, 2023
Jos Verstappen was highly criticized after this story came to light. But Max Verstappen claimed that he needed the harsh treatment to learn from his mistakes.
A lot of people may not agree with Jos Verstappen’s parenting style. But it cannot be denied that it is the same style that has built up a racing beast with two world championship titles already to his name.
