How Jos Verstappen's 'pushy parenting' created F1 superstar Max Verstappen revealed by Red Bull insider

A journalist who spent an entire season following the Red Bull F1 team around the world has lifted the lid on how Jos Verstappen views the approach he took to parenting Max Verstappen.

Matt Majendie was formerly a sports correspondent for the Evening Standard, but in 2025, he was handed exclusive access inside the Red Bull F1 camp.

Last season turned out to be the energy drink giant's most tumultuous campaign in their 20 year history, with team principal Christian Horner and F1 adviser Helmut Marko having both left the squad by the end of the year.

But what particularly struck Majendie during his time observing the F1 outfit from within was how humble their star driver and four-time champion really was.

In an appearance on the Road To Success podcast, Majendie unpacked the other takeaways he got from his time as a Red Bull F1 insider, even relaying Jos Verstappen's opinion on how his tough love approach to parenting impacted Max's future.

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Jos Verstappen deserves 'enormous credit' for Max's success

When asked by podcast host Ben Fowler about a now infamous story where Jos allegedly left a young Max at the side of the road near a gas station having not performed well at a karting event, Majendie revealed: "He [Jos] actually remembers that story differently of being left by the roadside.

"But it was still a fascinating insight in that they didn't speak to each other for a week, father and son, he was that cross with him. So that's quite hard parenting. But at the same time, he explains that Jos helped shape the racer he was that became this competitive animal...It is amazing what Jos did.

"He talks nicely about how he thought he was a good driver until his son came along in Formula 1 and he's a whole new level beyond him. But Jos needs enormous credit for that.

"He pushed him on the track. He was that pushy parent. You see that in a lot in elite sports, and I don't think he'll make any apology for that.

"But the other bit also is he was his driver, so he picked him up from school on a Friday and take him off to races. He was his mechanic, so he would be in in the garage working on every aspect of the car. And what people don't understand is the Verstappen technical brain.

"He's so, so sharp. He's got such a good brain and understanding of the car. Ben Hodgkinson in charge of powertrains explained to me how the complexity of questions Max asked when he was going round that part of the of the factory was really impressive. Jos would be working on the car the whole time, so Max fully understood it.

"So there's that big element of the Jos bit at play there, kind of multifaceted. And what's very sweet is they talk about those karting days as their sort of almost favourite time.

"Obviously, winning the world title, very special. But that bond between father and son was clearly special. Sure, there were points where it was hard and he was more pushy as a parent than perhaps I would have been, but well, we've come out with quite a racer off the back of it."

Jos Verstappen has a 'hard edge' to his personality, but the bond with Max is tight

Majendie then explained what he saw of the father-son relationship whilst travelling with Red Bull, saying: "When you see them together, they're laughing and joking.

"They have got a very tight bond. They often travel together in the private jet to and from the races, spend quite a lot of time together, and it's really sweet that Jos says the thing he's proudest of of Max is not all these amazing race wins, but it's just what he's like as a human being. He's just a lovely, humble, down-to-earth guy, a real family man. I sort of think that Jos really has got a hard edge to him, and I think he would admit that.

"But Max's mum [Sophie Kumpen] is the key figure there, as well as genetically giving him another pool of of racing genes, she's also a lovely human being, and I think maybe gave that softer side. So that double part to his his personality, how he is, has shaped him into actually just as his dad says, a lovely human being."

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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