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Max Verstappen recently had an opportunity to sit in his father's old car at a Honda event in Japan. The Dutchman took to Twitter to share photos of his younger self sitting in Jos Verstappen's car and recreate some of them.
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Max Verstappen won his first world championship last year in a Red Bull powered by Honda engines. Verstappen expressed thanks to the Japanese team for providing a championship-winning car to the young driver and helping him achieve his dream of becoming a world champion, something his father was never able to achieve.
Verstappen brought Honda back to its old glory. The Dutchman was the first driver to win with a Honda-powered car since the Japanese manufacturer returned to the sport in 2015, taking first place at the 2019 F1 Austrian GP. Red Bull went on to win sixteen races using Honda engines before the Japanese manufacturer announced that it would pull out of the sport at the end of the 2021 season.
Honda agreed to transfer all the engines to Red Bull, which used them after rebranding as Red Bull Powertrains. The Japanese manufacturer agreed to support the Austrian team until 2025, after which new engine regulations will come into effect. Red Bull is also developing its own engine program for the 2026 season after talks with Porsche to come onboard as engine manufacturers collapsed. The new project will allow Red Bull to manufacture everything in-house and not depend on other companies for anything.
Max Verstappen won the championship his father never could
Jos Verstappen never drove the Honda, since he was contracted as a test and development driver for the team. Honda planned to only test and build the car during the 1999 season and race next season onwards. The sudden death of their technical director, Harvey Postlethwaite, and a deal to supply engines to BAR led to the team disbanding.
Jos Verstappen moved to Arrows where he raced for the next two years. He never won a championship in his career. The elder Verstappen was a teammate of the great Michael Schumacher and was always overshadowed by the seven-time world champion.
Max started racing at a very young age, becoming the youngest driver to start a Grand Prix when he debuted with the Toro Rosso in 2015, at the age of 17 years. Max Verstappen won his first world championship in 2021, fulfilling his father's dream and his own. The Dutch driver will look to win his second title in Suzuka this weekend.
