Max Verstappen shares childhood memories of Michael Schumacher

Credit for photo: Red Bull Content Pool — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Verstappen shares childhood memories of Michael Schumacher

Verstappen grew up around the legend

By Sheona Mountford.

Thursday 15 January 2026 21:06

Max Verstappen shared his childhood memories with F1 legend and champion Michael Schumacher.

Verstappen is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, who competed in the sport at the same time as Schumacher, even lining up as team-mates at Benetton in 1994.

As is common knowledge, thanks to the internet, a young and very blonde Max Verstappen was photographed with Schumacher during his Ferrari years in the F1 paddock.

In a recent interview with Blick, Verstappen was questioned about this picture and revealed Schumacher was known to him as 'Uncle Michael'.

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"A wonderful memory, filled with pictures and videos. Because my father, Jos, was Schumacher's teammate at Benetton in 1994, the families stayed in touch for many years afterward. We even spent a few holidays together. I knew him as Uncle Michael," he said.

"He was a driver who worked tirelessly and gave his all. For him, only victory mattered, regardless of how it was achieved. On the track, he was—like me—completely focused. But at home, he cared for his family and gave them the attention they deserved."

Verstappen nears Schumacher records

Verstappen is also closing in on Schumacher's podiums (155) with 127 to the Dutchman's name heading into the 2026 season.

Despite a late championship challenge, Verstappen missed out on equalling Schumacher's record of five consecutive world titles in 2025, with the German still maintaining that accolade.

Verstappen is also 20 behind Schumacher in the list of all time pole positions with 48 compared to the F1 legend's 68. Furthermore, Schumacher still has the most wins of any driver not starting from pole position (51) while Verstappen climbs the list with 34.

The seven-time world champion also remains the only F1 driver to have a 100 per cent podium record in 2002, standing on the podium in all 17 races. Verstappen is the second best in this regard, whose dominant performance in 2023 saw him stand on the podium 21 out of 22 occasions, giving him a 95.45 per cent record.

F1 Max Verstappen Michael Schumacher