Jos Verstappen invested close to a million dollars in his son Max to help him get into Formula 1 with Red Bull.
Verstappen’s entry into the world of F1 took the entire sport by storm. He made his debut at the age of 17 with Toro Rosso, and just a year later became F1’s youngest-ever race winner. In spite of his natural talent and early entry into F1, he too had to spend a lot of money to climb his way to the top.
Becoming an F1 driver is not easy and cheap, even if you’re the son of Michael Schumacher’s former teammate. Jos Verstappen was an F1 driver himself and had two podium finishes in his career. Once his career ended, he took it upon himself to ensure that his son Max becomes a bigger star and a World Champion. That, however, could not be done without spending money of his own during Verstappen’s junior days.
Verstappen was one of the best racers in the karting circuit. Despite that, his father Jos had to spend $986,000 on his career. Some of the money can be covered by sponsors, but it definitely does not guarantee a future spot in F1.
Also read: Lawrence Stroll paid $79 million to map Lance Stroll’s journey from F4 to F1
Jos Verstappen missed the moment Max won his second World Championship
There are still four races to go in the 2022 F1 season. However, Verstappen has already secured his second Title after winning the Japanese GP two weeks ago. His win in Suzuka came after a very eventful race which was hugely disrupted by rain. The Dutchman completely dominated proceedings from the get go.
Verstappen finished 27 seconds ahead of second placed Sergio Perez in a race which lasted just 28 laps. This showed how dominant the 25-year-old was in Suzuka that afternoon. His first position was never in doubt, but after the race there was some confusion as to whether he had won the Championship or not. However, after a few minutes, he was officially declared World Champion.
Back to where the F1 journey started 🇯🇵
A 17-year-old Max Verstappen made his debut back in 2014 in a FP and became the youngest F1 driver EVER to do so 🤩 pic.twitter.com/1FiJyE2sUD
— Max Verstappen (@VerstappenCOM) October 5, 2022
His father Jos on the other hand was not present in Suzuka for the Japanese GP. The former Benetton driver admitted that he was frustrated to not be present for his son’s second Title win.
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Red Bull hoping to clinch Constructors’ Title at the United States GP
Red Bull haven’t won the Constructors’ Championship since the 2013 season. The closest they came was last year, but in the final few races, Mercedes snatched it away. This season, they have a 165 point lead over Ferrari with just four races to go.
Unless Red Bull have a disastrous end to the year, they should win their fifth Title. In fact, if the Milton-Keynes based outfit leave Austin with 16 more points, they would mathematically seal the Championship.
