Jos Verstappen says his son Max was definitely ready to race in Formula 1 aged just 17 back in 2015.
The Dutchman’s rapid progression to Toro Rosso after just one year of single-seater racing sent a shockwave through motorsport, resulting in the FIA implementing a points system, forcing drivers to race in different categories before obtaining the necessary F1 superlicence, and a minimum age limit of 18 years old.
However, Verstappen Sr., who himself jumped from F3 to F1 in 1994, was sure Max could handle the significant jump.
“I knew Max was ready just because of his preparation leading upto it,” he said in the latest Beyond the Grid F1 podcast.
“The raw speed he has, the maturity and, to be honest, the way Red Bull picked him up and trained him, they really put all the effort in to make him a success.
“For me, his age was never a problem, definitely not after his first test in F1, it was so natural what he was doing and it was impressive what he was doing for his first time in an F1 car.”
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Jos talked at length about the first steps Max took into racing, revealing he had to relent to pressure from his son to get his first kart.
“He was very interested, he wanted to start very early but we wanted to wait until he was a little bit older,” he explained.
My plan was to put him in a go-kart when he was six years old, but he was at a go-kart track near our house in Genk and he called me, he was crying because he saw a younger guy driving and said he wanted to do it as well, so I bought him a kart and that’s how it started at four and a half.”
The former Benetton driver revealed it didn’t take long for Max to show his potential, particularly in an area which he still excels in today.
“I think we realized when he was about seven [how good he was],” Jos revealed.
“It was his racecraft, when he went out on cold tyres, his first lap was always a second quicker than anyone else, so when he had the lead after the start, the first time he came over the start/finish line, he was always that second ahead on colder tyres.
“For me that’s talent, that’s feeling and it’s what you also see in the wet when he has very little grip, that’s where he is fast.”
Now considered perhaps on a level similar to world champion Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen Sr. has no doubt Max is faster than he was.
“Oh, he’s much better, I had talent but the whole way he was brought up, yeah that makes him a lot better,” he concluded.