Today, Max Verstappen is the most in-form driver in F1 and some would even argue that he is the best. He created history in 2021 by becoming the first-ever world champion from the Netherlands and followed it up with another dominant win in 2022. At the young age of 25, he has already surpassed the careers of legendary F1 drivers like Fernando Alonso.
Verstappen’s rise to the top has been meteoric and sometimes, it is easy to forget that he has been in F1 for eight seasons now because of his young age. Many people feel that he can become the greatest driver of all time in terms of statistics if he races for another decade with a top team.
My dad and my biggest fan. Thank you for helping me achieve my dreams @MaVic009 #fathersday pic.twitter.com/fcNL3x79Cm
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) June 18, 2017
However, a lot of credit for Verstappen’s current success goes to his father Jos, who worked very hard in fulfilling his son’s dream. The former himself was an F1 driver but hardly tasted any success in the sport. This is why he made it his life’s goal to ensure that his son becomes a world champion in the future.
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Max Verstappen was his father’s life project
Verstappen broke a lot of records on his way to the top in F1. He became the sport’s youngest ever driver, points scorer and race winner during his early days. In an interview with CNN, he explained how his father’s approach to training him paid off after all those years.
The 25-year-old spoke about the winning mentality that everyone in his family possesses, and it is something that has made him so successful at a relatively young age. He spent most of his childhood with his father, travelling to different race tracks around the world, so he really loves the entire ecosystem. ‘
Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, has criticised Red Bull’s strategy at the Monaco Grand Prix 👀 pic.twitter.com/Kb2IE8JbvT
— Oddschanger (@Oddschanger) May 31, 2022
Jos Verstappen himself admitted a few years ago that he made Verstappen’s journey to stardom a part of his life. “I did more for Max’s career than my own career,” the former Benetton driver once said.
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Verstappen eying F1 retirement?
After winning the 2021 World Championship, Verstappen admitted that he had fulfilled his life’s dream and that anything else he achieved in F1 would be a bonus. This was before the Dutchman added on that by winning yet another world title last season.
Verstappen has often insisted on the fact that he won’t be in F1 when he’s 35 years old and he recently stated that he has achieved everything he wanted to in F1. While he did not talk about a potential retirement, his motivation to spend so much time away from home doing something he has already conquered may be questionable.
Despite this, Verstappen and Red Bull head into the 2023 F1 season as heavy favorites for both titles yet again.
