"If you're cold, put your fingers on the exhaust" - When Max Verstappen illustrated the tough upbringing he had with Jos Verstappen as his father

In a clip shared from a documentary, Max Verstappen shared a snippet of his childhood as a young driver learning the ropes under the tutelage of his father, Jos.

While speaking in a documentary on Verstappen which was released in 2023, Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko shared his experience of watching Jos refusing to let Max stop driving his go-kart in cold conditions in Italy.

In a post shared on X(formerly Twitter) by user bee1, reportedly from the documentary Max Verstappen: Anatomy of a Champion, Marko said:

"In winter, they would go to Italy. As soon as it started raining, everybody went to the cafeteria. There was just one car going round and round in the rain, and that was Max. As long as his fingers weren’t completely frozen, he had to drive."

While giving his perspective on the incident, Max said:

"That's what my dad said, 'Come on, toughen up a bit. You have to bite through it. If you're cold put your fingers on the exhaust before the gloves started melting and then go out again."

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Red Bull team boss on Max Verstappen's worth ethic

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner shared that Max Verstappen's commitment and work ethic during the team's tough time this year has impressed him.

Speaking with F1.com, Horner said:

“What’s really impressed me with Max is how he’s really engaged in this process. He’s not panicking, he’s working with the engineers, he’s explaining very clearly where the issues are, and he’s putting the time and effort in.

"He was in early this morning, he was on Zoom calls last week, he’ll be on the simulator before the next race, and he’s really working hard at this. I think he’s shown great maturity as a world champion, the way he’s working with the engineering group." he added.

The Red Bull further added that nobody in the team was happy about the current situation and that the team would work hard to improve the scenario it finds itself in.

Red Bull is just eight points ahead of McLaren and 39 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructor's championship at the top of the standings. The team has failed to win a race this season since Verstappen's triumph at the Spanish GP in June.