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“There Was No Joy”: Jos Verstappen ‘Violence’ Brought to Light as Relentless Max Verstappen Dominance Makes Headlines

Vidit Dhawan
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“There Was No Joy”: Jos Verstappen ‘Violence’ Brought to Light as Relentless Max Verstappen Dominance Makes Headlines

Despite winning two consecutive world championships, Max Verstappen seems to be showing no signs of slowing down. So far, he has won eight of the 10 races that have taken place this year. Red Bull’s performance, Verstappen’s form, and Adrian Newey’s sharp mind have all been brought to light following this extended spell of dominance. However, a huge amount of credit goes to his father, Jos Verstappen. This is because of the ruthless teaching methods he used on young Max.

As Verstappen continues to dominate, former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari explained why he believes the 25-year-old fits perfectly in the Red Bull family that is often “harsh” on other young drivers. Alguersuari believes that because of Jos’ ruthlessness, Max Verstappen was already used to a stressful environment. This made him ready for Red Bull even before joining them.

Verstappen himself has thanked his father for the way he treated him on numerous occasions. In fact, the 25-year-old feels that without his father’s harsh lessons, he wouldn’t be the star driver that he is today. He explained that he needed his father to behave in this way which motivated him to keep pushing to the limits and become a better driver.

Jaime Alguersuari believes Max Verstappen fits perfectly in Red Bull

While speaking in a recent interview with as.com, Jaime Alguarsuari explained why he believes that Max Verstappen fits perfectly at Red Bull. The former Spanish driver began his remarks by explaining how Red Bull is a team that creates “machines“.

The 33-year-old believes that the Milton Keynes-based outfit is a place where you “either win or you die” because of the pressure that Helmut Marko puts on the drivers. Alguarsuari believes that the drivers in this team are always on a “knife edge” as they know that the team can sack them at any given time if they don’t perform.

After stating the same, Alguarsuari explained why Verstappen feels at home in such an environment. Because of the “violence” that Jos used during the 25-year-old’s childhood. “His (Max) father, through violence, taught him to win races. You have been trained this way. There was no happiness. They pushed him so far that they ended up making a perfect pilot,” explained the former Spanish F1 driver.

Since Alguarsuari used some very strong words to describe Jos’ treatment, the interviewer asked him once again to explain what he meant when he said “violence“. The 33-year-old made it clear that he used a very literal term to describe how Verstappen’s father dealt with him. If he failed to perform during his younger karting days.

After explaining his previous comment, Alguarsuari added that Verstappen is the kind of driver that Red Bull have always wanted. He concluded his remarks by making it clear that he would never treat his children in the same way.

Max too admits he will not treat his children in such a way

While Max Verstappen has always defended his father’s behavior towards him, he once admitted that it was “harsh“. After agreeing to the same, he explained in an interview at the start of this year, that he will not choose a similar kind of parenting style towards his children.

When asked about the same by Dutch newspaper De Limburger, Verstappen stated that he will definitely treat his children “differently” compared to his father brought him up. However, he admitted that it is easy for him to talk about the same. Since he doesn’t have any children at the moment.

Jos’ teachings have undoubtedly made Verstappen one of the best in F1. However, it is fair to say that they cannot be tolerated by everyone. With Verstappen’s beforementioned comments, it seems as though, he too feels the same.

About the author

Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan

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Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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