Father Jos Verstappen did "everything" he could to get Max an F1 seat
Jos Verstappen might have invested more time and energy into his son's Formula 1 dream rather than his own career. He did everything possible to get Max Verstappen into an F1 seat. Nowadays, Verstappen finds himself on the podium often and has won eight Grands Prix.
"It was my father and my dream to get into Formula 1," Verstappen said in a conversation with De Telegraaf. "If you have walked that path together, it's a very nice experience. Right from the start, we started karting together. He really did everything. If you win races and stand on the podium, it only makes it more beautiful."
During Verstappen's karting career he was always together with his father, but we no longer see Jos Verstappen in the pits during every race. The young driver still finds it very nice to have his father with him during a race weekend. "I like it that he is still there on the circuit, just like my manager Raymond Vermeulen."
Jos Verstappen drove 106 races himself but probably spent more time in his son's career than in his own career. "Whether my father gets enough recognition? I think and hope so. I do not want to say that his own career has gone a bit crooked, but perhaps his career in Formula 1 feels a bit like a missed opportunity given the potential. The fact that things are going well, for now, is also wonderful for my father."
"I don't know if I'll look like him in 30 years. Maybe so, at least if I still have hair. It usually skips a generation, hey," he jokes.