Jos Verstappen has admitted that he was never overly rude to his son, as people sometimes claim. Max Verstappenwho can be called the best F1 driver of the moment, has meanwhile admitted that he would raise his children differently.
Over the years, various stories have spread about how strict parenting methods Joss Verstappen once applied to his son. One of them is about the case in Italy, when he left his son at a gas station after a karting race, because he was not satisfied with the results of the young aspirant in the competition.
“There are people who say I was a bad father because I was rude to my child, but I was never rude to him,” says Jos Verstappen. “I was tough on him. That was my plan. Many cannot even imagine what it takes to reach the highest level in sports. I’m not one who usually likes to open up about these things, but I think it’s necessary to give a little more insight into how we lived during this period. I know I’m not the easiest person to work with and I’ve asked a lot of Max. But he was able to endure it all. Psychologically, he has always been very strong.”
Joss is said to have quickly realized that Max had a natural talent as a racing driver, but never told him, even claimed otherwise, so that the young driver would not become distracted. Max Verstappen admits that he will probably raise his children in a different way.
“I definitely want children,” admits Max Verstappen. “If they want to be racers, I don’t mind. But I think I would act differently than my father. However, it’s easy for me to talk because I don’t have kids yet. Maybe when the time comes I will think very differently. However, the passion with which he worked was endless. He did everything for me. He tuned motors, made go-karts. I don’t see that I can do that either. Either way, I wouldn’t push my kids to become racers. They have to want it themselves. And the moment you start raising your daughter or son in this direction, I don’t think you can drive in Formula 1 yourself anymore. You have to start at the age of four.”
