Max Verstappen was recently interviewed by the Time Magazine. The 3 time World Champion has been vocal about his father’s harsh treatment towards him at several occasions. Even Max’s father, Jos Verstappen – a former racer himself, has mentioned multiple accounts of such behaviour and has cited it as the reason behind the Red Bull driver’s brilliance. The father has appeared to glorify his behaviour towards Max Verstappen.

During his interview with Time, the reigning World Champion described yet another incident of his father’s rage and discipline that involved Jos Verstappen abandoning Max at a Gas station, only to come pick the young driver up later on. Former Dutch cyclist, Marjin de Vries, commented on Verstappen’s recounting of this incident and claimed that it made his stomach ache.

De Vried wrote in her column to NRC as the cyclist appeared to be disturbed by Max’s comments.

I read and reread the passages, and don't know what gives me more stomach pain: from what is said, or from what is not said. From the thought of Max who was not allowed to run around and play, or of Max left at the gas station. From a father who refuses to talk to you for a week, while you're just a teenager.

Max Verstappen’s stories of his troubled upbringing point fingers at Jos Verstappen

The Gas station incident occurred when Max Verstappen was only 14 years old. The story goes, Jos Verstappen and Max were around Naples for a race as the father used to take young Max around Europe to compete and hone his skills against various drivers from across the continent. During the aforementioned race near Naples, Max Verstappen was overtaken by a driver during the race and young Max, instead of bidding his time for a clean pass, tried a risky move against his challenger and crashed out of the race.

After finding himself in the gravel, young Max wanted to talk to his father on their way back home. Jos, However, was still enraged about Max’s DNF and didn’t wish to talk. The following events were described by Jos Verstappen himself as he said, “He wanted to talk, I didn’t want to talk. So I said, ‘If you don’t shut up, I’ll send you out.’” Jos proceeded to leave Max at the gas station, before turning around later to pick him up.

According to Max, his father did not speak to him for a week. Jos Verstappen has had multiple run-ins with the law including a conviction for assault in 1998. The Former racer has always denied abusing Max. He proceeded to tell TIME that he hit his son only once, that too on the helmet, ahead of a race in England. The father claimed that the hit was the sole reason behind the younger Verstappen’s victory in the race.

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