{"id":292823,"date":"2023-10-07T23:25:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T23:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=292823"},"modified":"2023-10-07T23:25:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T23:25:21","slug":"jonathan-mcevoy-verstappens-racing-genes-selected-him-for-stardom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/racing\/f1\/jonathan-mcevoy-verstappens-racing-genes-selected-him-for-stardom\/","title":{"rendered":"JONATHAN MCEVOY: Verstappen&apos;s racing genes selected him for stardom"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>JONATHAN MCEVOY: Max Verstappen&#8217;s racing genes selected him for stardom, and after sealing a third Drivers&#8217; Championship, he looks to be a potent fighter for years to come<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Max Verstappen became three-time Formula One champion on Saturday<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>The Dutchman claimed his third title with a second-place finish in the sprint\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Verstappen was the youngest rookie ever, and forced the FIA to change the rules\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is hardly a coincidence that Max Verstappen\u00a0is the phenomenon he is. His ideal racing genes selected him for stardom.<\/p>\n<p>His mother Sophie Kumpen, born 1975, in Hasselt, Belgium, was an extremely talented go-karter. \u2018A fantastic talent,\u2019 confirmed Jenson Button, world champion in 2009, and a one-time team-mate of Sophie, whose uncle and cousin competed with accomplishment in rallycross and endurance and saloon racing.<\/p>\n<p>Verstappen&#8217;s Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was another to go up against Sophie, in the 1989 Junior Kart World Championship. \u2018She was top 10 in the world, for sure,\u2019 he remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, she was often as good as any boy, but there was a glass ceiling for girls in those days. Formula One was not a serious option.<\/p>\n<p>As for Jos, he spent 10 years in grand prix racing, including as Michael Schumacher\u2019s team-mate at Benetton on his way to gaining two podiums.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/18\/76281177-0-image-a-65_1696698404650.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Max Verstappen has racing in his genes, including his father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen (far right)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76283425-12605571-image-m-8_1696703753049.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The Red Bull star secured his third consecutive world title during the Qatar Grand Prix sprint<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76283217-12605571-image-a-4_1696703399816.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Despite needing only to finish sixth, the 26-year-old clinched second place in the raceweekend&#8217;s sprint<\/p>\n<p>The pair married on May 24, the Friday after the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, in a small service in Godsheide, a Flemish-speaking Catholic parish of Hasselt. He was 24; she was 21. The marriage was finally to dissolve in acrimony, but, crucially, before that Max Emilian Verstappen was born on September 30, 1997 (elder brother to Victoria).<\/p>\n<p>Jos&#8217;s F1 career, which had promised more than it delivered, concluded when Max, already karting-mad, was seven years old. So Jos was able to devote his energy and expertise to protect and nurture the genius of his son.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes demonstrating hard love, Jos and Max worked out of their base in Maasbracht, half an hour\u2019s drive from Maastricht, where their smart workshop was the focal point of Max\u2019s young life, the place he learned about engines and race craft from his mentor.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I took the best of my father\u2019s talent and left out the less good bits,\u2019 Max said, alluding to Jos\u2019s gung-ho streak, when I visited their old \u2018HQ\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Max\u2019s rise through the ranks under the Dutch flag of his father\u2019s heritage was prodigious, until he arrived in Formula One to make his debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, aged 17 years and 166 days, the youngest rookie ever. The FIA changed their rules as a result: 18 was introduced as the minimum age.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76283211-12605571-image-a-5_1696703403746.jpg\" height=\"462\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Verstappen&#8217;s skill and bullish speed has made him untouchable since claiming his first World Championship in 2021<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76281257-12605571-He_made_his_debut_with_Toro_Rosso_in_2015_aged_just_17_and_force-a-1_1696703180534.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>He made his debut with Toro Rosso in 2015 aged just 17, and forced the FIA to change the rules<\/p>\n<p>Raw talent was evident from the outset, the hoopla surrounding the teenage Max greater than that which accompanied any driver since Lewis Hamilton, then 22, arrived at the same track to begin his top-flight journey eight years before.<\/p>\n<p>Verstappen has since added all-round dependability to his nascent brilliance. Yet he remains willing to get his elbows out when necessary. His maturity has particularly developed over the past two seasons, since taking the title so contentiously in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2021.<\/p>\n<p>An expert witness of Verstappen\u2019s blossoming is Nico Rosberg, who is here in the paddock working for Sky. The German tested himself against the best of his time Schumacher was his first team-mate at Mercedes before he went up against Hamilton. He learned from the former to equip himself to take on the latter.<\/p>\n<p>He was never going to be Hamilton\u2019s equal over the stretch, but the German steeled himself heroically to triumph in 2016 in what was essentially the Briton\u2019s team.<\/p>\n<p>Where does Rosberg place Verstappen? \u2018One of the five greatest ever,\u2019 he told me. \u2018He\u2019s up there with Fangio, Schumacher and Senna.\u2019 He later mentioned Hamilton. But what makes Verstappen so good? \u2018Natural talent \u2013 phenomenal,\u2019 came Rosberg\u2019s simple assessment. \u2018And a high degree of confidence.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76283535-12605571-image-a-9_1696703770837.jpg\" height=\"357\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Verstappen&#8217;s father (right) is a fixture in the Red Bull garage as he follows his son&#8217;s career<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76283423-12605571-image-a-10_1696703776562.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The Dutchman was at the centre of celebrations in Qatar as the driver claimed a third title<\/p>\n<p>Yes, Verstappen backs himself to deliver no matter the odds. He also makes the art of driving simple. \u2018Just two pedals and a steering wheel,\u2019 he reasons.<\/p>\n<p>Even Bernie Ecclestone, the sage whose memory goes back further than anyone\u2019s, has ripped up his list of the finest. He attended the first Formula One race ever, at Silverstone in 1950, and has seen them all since. He told Mail Sport: \u2018Max is the best driver ever. No doubt. I used to say Alain Prost. Now I would say Max. He doesn\u2019t muck around. He gets right on the programme.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018In my list he is above Lewis (Hamilton). Lewis is obviously super-super bright, super-super talented. Lewis understands people and gets the best out of them, whereas Max gets the best out of the car. He\u2019s very different from Max. When Lewis stops racing, he can get into a different world \u2013 entertainment or whatever \u2013 but that won\u2019t be the way Max could go. Max is one of us. In our sphere of Formula One nobody has a lifestyle or outlook like Lewis.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76281219-12605571-Bernie_Ecclestone_believes_Verstappen_has_usurped_Alain_Prost_as-a-2_1696703180535.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Bernie Ecclestone believes Verstappen has usurped Alain Prost as the best F1 driver ever<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/19\/76283215-12605571-image-a-6_1696703409851.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Red Bull are keen not to lose their main attraction, signing him to a contract until 2028<\/p>\n<p>\u2018At school, I was a bit undersized, so I was a bit different. As was Lewis in a different way. When you are a little undersized, or whatever, you have to look after yourself. You have to be a fighter.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Yes, there is a simplicity to Verstappen \u2013 a total focus, and a repudiation of the trappings of stardom, that suggest he will remain the most potent driver for seasons to come.<\/p>\n<p>He is signed up \u2013 on \u00a340million per annum \u2013 until the end of 2028, beyond which he makes no promises, hinting at racing for fun out of the limelight.<\/p>\n<p>Those five years may seem like an eternity to his rivals.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/formulaone\/article-12605571\/JONATHAN-MCEVOY-Max-Verstappens-racing-genes-selected-stardom-sealing-Drivers-Championship-looks-potent-fighter-years-come.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JONATHAN MCEVOY: Max Verstappen&#8217;s racing genes selected him for stardom, and after sealing a third Drivers&#8217; Championship, he looks to be a potent fighter for years to come Max Verstappen became three-time Formula One champion on Saturday The Dutchman claimed his third title with a second-place finish in the sprint\u00a0 Verstappen was the youngest rookie [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>JONATHAN MCEVOY: Verstappen&amp;apos;s racing genes selected him for stardom - Sports Life Tale<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/racing\/f1\/jonathan-mcevoy-verstappens-racing-genes-selected-him-for-stardom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JONATHAN MCEVOY: Verstappen&amp;apos;s racing genes selected him for stardom - Sports Life Tale\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"JONATHAN MCEVOY: Max Verstappen&#8217;s racing genes selected him for stardom, and after sealing a third Drivers&#8217; 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