TALKING POINT NO MISTAKES SON
S
taying cool under pressure
is the key to teenager Max
Verstappen’s success in
becoming the youngest race
winner in Formula One history and
with it setting himself up for a long
career at the pinnacle of the sport
That is the opinion of the man
who knows him best, his father Jos,
a former F1 driver who watched in
awe on as his 18-year-old son, the
first Dutchman to do so, claimed
his record-breaking victory in the
Spanish Grand Prix.
As all around him celebrated
one of the most stunning
achievements in motor sport,
Verstappen senior reflected on
how his son had resisted all attacks
to win ahead of Ferrari’s two
world champion drivers, Finn Kimi
Raikkonen and German Sebastian
Vettel, on his debut with the Red
Bull team.
“He’s cool, he knows what to
do, but this is his life,” he said. “He
has been racing his whole life, so
it’s quite normal for him, but to win
a Formula One race will always be
very special, particularly with the
way he won it. He was always in
control, he didn’t make mistakes,
and he deserved it.”
A sensational lap one collision
between the two Mercedes drivers,
defending three-time champion
Lewis Hamilton and championship
leader Nico Rosberg, set the stage
for Verstappen.