Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen confesses he isn’t ‘proud’ of his career

Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen recalled his failed racing career in Formula 1 and how he isn't proud of it.

Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen confesses he isn’t ‘proud’ of his career

Max Verstappen and Jos Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen‘s father Jos Verstappen was also a driver in Formula 1 in the past. Verstappen Sr. raced for multiple constructors from 1994 to 2003 while being paired up with some highly achieved drivers. However, despite being paired up with some legends, the Dutchman was unable to amass any notable results throughout his motorsports career.

Jos Verstappen was paired up with the Legendary Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1994. Schumacher won the championship that year while the Dutchman could score only ten points over the season. As a result, the 52-year-old recalled his racing career and highlighted his disappointment with the same.

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Verstappen Sr. didn’t hesitate to claim that he wasn’t proud of his career in Formula 1. The Dutchman pointed out that people knew him only because of his fireball incident at the German GP in 1994. The 52-year-old’s Benetton chassis was engulfed in flames due to a refueling incident in the pit lanes at Hockenheim.

To be honest, I’m not proud of my career. People remember me because I was in the fireball at Hockenheim in 1994. My car caught fire then whilst refuelling. I made mistakes. My Benetton team-mate was Michael Schumacher. He was extremely fast, extremely talented and the top driver in the team. 

Jos Verstappen told F1-insider.com

Jos Verstappen wanted to ‘bang his head’ after disappointing results

Jos Verstappen couldn’t amass any race wins let alone championship wins over his Formula 1 career spanning over eight seasons. Although the Dutchman scored multiple podiums, he was never good enough for a win. Verstappen recalled that he wanted to drive as fast as Michael Schumacher at Benetton which he ultimately couldn’t. Due to these mistakes, the 52-year-old wanted to ‘bang’ his head into the wall back then.

I wanted to drive as fast as him, especially in the race. But I couldn’t do that with my limited experience at that time. That’s why I made mistakes. I wanted to bang my head against a wall. I gave Max the message not to make this mistake.

Jos Verstappen noted
Jos Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Jos Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Regardless of Verstappen Sr’s failed career in Formula 1, he made sure his son Max Verstappen didn’t suffer from a similar fate. The 52-year-old carved a highly dominant driver in Verstappen Jr. and made sure he didn’t regret his chances. The reigning world champion is on the trajectory to be amongst the greats in the sport, and a majority of the credit goes to the father.