Both of Max Verstappen’s parents were racing drivers and it played a huge part in the Dutchman’s successes at the pinnacle of motorsport. While his father Jos Verstappen parted ways from F1 to nurture and train his son, Max’s mother Sophie Kumpen made a much bigger sacrifice.
In a documentary released by Viaplay, Kumpen revealed the story of her life. She spoke about her achievements and her rising career in motorsports. But before she even made it to the top ladder she took the decision to give it up.
Speaking in the documentary, Max’s mother said, “I won two times Belgian championship, the trophy Margutti. At the peak of my career, I was among the ten best in the world. I was 21 and got a contract to go racing cars.”
Sophie Kumpen sacrificed her career for Jos Verstappen
Kumpen met Jos when she was still karting and had received a contract for driving cars. At the time the Belgian racer was only 21 years old. In the interview, she explained that everything moved too fast and they got married in 1996.
She said, “He[Jos] was already then in Formula 1. Then we got married very soon. I was away with racing, he was away with racing.”
Kumpen explained that the question that arose at the time of their marriage was, “What do we do now to see each other more? I could not ask Jos to give up his dream as he was already racing in Formula 1.”
Therefore, Max’s mother took a harsh decision as she was not in a racing career yet. “I made the decision[to give up her career]. And then it’s history,” she added.
Jos Verstappen allegedly assaulted Sophie Kumpen
Kumpen and Verstappen Sr parted ways from each other in 2008 for unknown reasons. The docuseries released on viaplay showed Victoria(Max’s little sister) recalling the fights between her parents as a kid and the moments when they decided to call it quits on their marriage.
There are several reports of Max’s father landing in jail or being charged with assault. Stories of how Max Verstappen has grown up and was trained by his father have also raised questions about Jos’ parenting.
Back in 2008, The Sun reported that Verstappen Sr was arrested for allegedly assaulting his ex-wife Kumpen. However, the 51-year-old was cleared of all charges but he was still found guilty of sending threatening messages. The court fined and sentenced him to three months of probation.
