Young Verstappen put to the test: 'Max was still faster'

Jos Verstappen made sure that he did everything he could to hone Max's skills after he showed that he had great talent. "There was no brake on Jos. Everything had to give way to the higher goal. Jos always said: Max has to perform, then the rest will come naturally. He made it as difficult as possible for Max; each time that bar was raised a little higher. Jos thought Max should race with older guys," Pex told Formula 1 Magazine. Max was able to race against other guys as Pex had an older son, Jorrit, who Max often raced with.

'Jos Verstappen added lead to Max's kart'

"What Max did not know is that Jos sometimes added lead to his kart and was only satisfied when he went as fast as the others," says the entrepreneur from Echt. He says he and Jos often watched in disbelief at how fast Max went in his kart. "Jos would then compare Max's data with Jorrit's and point out the mistakes he made. Max often sought out the discussion, didn't hide and then went to talk to Jorrit. Just the other day, he said in an interview: 'I learned a lot from Jorrit'. I like that."

Max was continuously put to the test as he and Jorrit usually raced in equal machinery, but with Verstappen often coming out quicker. To find out if there was a difference in the engines Max was using, their fathers once decided to swap them out. 

"Nothing changed. Again, Max was a touch faster," Pex explained. Verstappen simply took more speed out of the corners and therefore reached top speed earlier. "How he does that, I don't know either. It's pure talent. You can still see it with him now, even in Formula 1. Max had a good engine, but not a better one than the competitors. It was pure Max. He had and has that little bit extra."

This article was written in collaboration with Savannah Lenz. 

Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!

X | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube