Max Verstappen reveals the ruthless lesson his father taught him: "It still drives me today"

16:27, 30 Jul

byEstéban den Toom

Max Verstappen was asked how quickly he gets to know new circuits and how long it takes him. The reigning world champion explains that his father, Jos Verstappen, always taught him to learn the new track as quickly as possible.

“Normally, the goal is to get it within five laps. That's what my dad always taught me when I was a kid in a kart,” Max started in a video from Ford Performance. “He said that you need to immediately be at the limit, have good lap times, because sometimes you can hit the track and just drive to see what happens, but my father always said: no, we're going on the track and we have to be on top immediately,” Verstappen recounted.

Nowadays, it's undoubtedly a bit easier for new racers to familiarize themselves with unfamiliar circuits. Through simulations and current Formula 1 games, racers appear to face fewer surprises these days, even if the track on site feelings are always different from simulations . Verstappen has been taught to stand out immediately and not to dawdle when adapting to new circuits.

Verstappen about new circuit: 'You have to be there immediately'

“Also, because that's how motorsport works: as soon as you come out of karting, you don’t have much time. There's not much opportunity to test. During a race week, you have FP1, maybe FP2, but then you're already going to qualifications. So, there is no time to slowly get up to speed. You have to be there immediately,” Verstappen said.

The Red Bull driver with the number one on his car also talked in the video about his rain race at Interlagos in 2016. Verstappen seemed to slide off the track but managed to save his car in a legendary manner. Afterwards, he admitted that a bit of luck was also involved.