Jos Verstappen: 'People sometimes said I wasn't right for doing this'

Jos Verstappen looks back on the karting period of his son Max Verstappen. It was an extreme time for the family, but with the world title of the Dutchman, it is clear what they did it for.

When Max Verstappen was just four years old, his karting days began. It became immediately clear that the young Dutchman had talent, so father Jos took the situation seriously and tackled it extremely. "We did everything ourselves, while competing against factory teams. But we did not want to be dependent on others", he says in conversation with Red Bull Racing.

His son already knew how to win a lot in his younger years. In his first fifty races, he crossed the finish line first 49 times. Verstappen senior knows that the extreme time was worth everything now that his son is Formula 1 world champion.

"Of course, people have said at times: you're not right to be doing this. And when I look back on it now, I realise that we were in a very extreme situation." Verstappen's dad was often tired behind the workbench and would often lie down on the sofa for a few hours before simply continuing. "But we now know what we did it for", says Verstappen senior.