Max Verstappen dispels the notion that he was forced into racing by his parents

Max Verstappen recently debunked the notion that he was forced to become a racing driver.

In an interview with M4 Sport, Max Verstappen initially stated that the rumor about him being forced to be a racer was a "good story". The Red Bull driver shared that when he and his mother watched his father Jos race, he asked for a go-kart of his own.

After initially being denied by his father who felt he was too young, Max finally received his go-kart.

“That’s a good story! 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,” he said.

The Dutchman feels parents should not force anything on their children because they might not enjoy it.

“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,” he added.

Max Verstappen was four years old when he started driving go-karts. By the time he was seven, he started participating in championships. He was involved in several karting series before shifting to actual racing cars in 2013.

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Max Verstappen fulfilled his father's dreams by dominating F1

Max Verstappen's father, Jos claims his dreams have come true after seeing his son dominate F1. Back in December 2023, he told PlanetF1 that Max's level of performance is "impressive" and has exceeded his expectations.

“I dreamed of this, of course, but to achieve what he’s doing at the moment, his level, it’s very impressive. I know he was good from the beginning onwards, but he’s exceeded that. I think the cars are more level [nowadays]," said Jos.

Max Verstappen has won three consecutive drivers' world championships and has helped Red Bull win two constructors' titles as well.