Max Verstappen has revealed that he could have started racing at an even earlier age than he actually did.
The three-time world champion first climbed into a Formula 1 car for a practice session at the tender age of 16, and soon became the youngest driver to ever win a grand prix.
It’s almost impossible to imagine a 16-year-old driving the F1 cars of today, but such was the rarity of Verstappen’s talents – he did.
It paid off in spectacular fashion and he’s now a three-time world champion at the age of just 26, something that can only be bettered by Sebastian Vettel at 25.
Max Verstappen drives his RB20 around the Bahrain circuitMax Verstappen looks set to dominate F1 again in 2024
Verstappen: I didn't budge
But according to himself, he was not ‘forced’ into motorsport, and instead held back by his father who wanted to keep him off the track until he turned six-years-old.
“At the time I saw a kid younger than me driving. He was three, I was four. I was at the track with my mother because my father was racing. I told her I wanted to race a go-kart too!
“She called my dad, who said no, and asked me to wait until I was six. But I didn’t budge, and six months later my mother finally convinced my father to buy me a go-kart.
“I think it’s very important that parents don’t force anything on you. In general, it’s good for a child to play sports, but it’s up to them to choose what they want to do.
“That’s what happened to me. If the parents’ will prevails, the child may not enjoy it and, as a professional, may not appreciate what he does enough.”
If a young Verstappen was allowed to race even earlier, he may have even been on the F1 scene quicker than occurred.
For Red Bull, he may turn out to be one of their best ever investments as he continues to dominate the sport and take the grid by storm.
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