Max Verstappen never went through the grind of a Red Bull junior thanks to the difficult experience of his father, Jos Verstappen, in F1. Although the 51-year-old had a decorated racing career before he reached F1, his fortunes took a turn thereafter. Jos was paired alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton in his rookie season. That proved a massive blow to his confidence, a cautionary tale he’d make sure his son wouldn’t go through.
Jos joined Benetton in 1994, the year Schumacher won his first of seven world championships. Jos had placed his faith in Flavio Briatore, and that proved to be a mistake. Mark Hughes, in Unstoppable: The Ultimate Biography of Three-Time World Champion Max Verstappen, explains how Jos was put in a subservient role in an inferior car.
In the biography, Hughes reveals the attack Jos endured over his psyche during the stint. He explained how a young driver, who was touted to be the next big thing in F1, suffered immensely because of the importance of perception. That experience was enough for Jos to ensure he took control of Max’s career. It ultimately boiled down to Max never going through the grind of a Red Bull Junior driver, which almost every driver of the team’s academy goes through.
1994 Benetton Formula con Schumi e Jos il papà di Max Verstappen… ricordi incredibili #michaelschumacher #josverstappen #F1 #benetton #1994 pic.twitter.com/DFW4Stn8qF
— Flavio Briatore (@Briatore) November 20, 2017
Max and Jos tasted success in almost every category they raced before making the F1 breakthrough. Some would say that the father was a bigger sensation in his pre-F1 years. While Max managed a third-place finish in F3 before joining F1, Jos not only won the F3 championship but also pretty much every junior category championship, including karting.
Jos Verstappen’s former boss admits mistake over Michael Schumacher conundrum
Joan Villadelprat was the Operations Director and Team Principal at Benetton when Jos Verstappen joined the team. During their time together, Jos and Michael Schumacher developed a special bond. They even went out for vacations together with their families. However, on the track, Jos held every bit of ambition to beat his teammate. That, as per Villadelprat, wasn’t managed well by him and the team.
He admitted that Verstappen was a fine driver. However, the 51-year-old’s decision to challenge Schumacher went against him. Villadelprat understands that a driver will always look to beat his teammate and therefore it was the team’s duty to manage the situation.
Earlier this year, Planet F1 quoted him as saying, “His father (Jos) was a good driver. I think, actually, we f***ed that up because we put him next to Michael. He tried to compete with Michael and, in the end, we needed to get rid of him.”
Like father, like son
1997 saw Jan Magnussen, Michael Schumacher and Jos Verstappen racing together in F1. Fast forward to 2022, and now their sons are racing against each other #F1 #Autosport pic.twitter.com/bvBnmxd3u5
— Autosport (@autosport) March 9, 2022
Villadelprat vividly remembers Jos’ podium finish in Hungary. In his own words, Jos Verstappen was “quick as hell.” He even praised him for his ability to shine in one-lap performances. However, Schumacher held the ability to prolong that performance to fifteen laps. But that did not mean that Jos did not take his chances against his teammate.
Villadelprat then also went on to compare Schumacher’s driving style with Max’s. The former team boss finds their approach to be very similar when it comes to navigating through the corners and managing throttle inputs.
Schumacher was in his thirties when he won his third world title while Max is only 26. Hence, Villadelprat believes the young Dutchman can match his father’s former teammate if he decides to hang on for long enough.
