"My dad basically threw everything at it" - Max Verstappen describes the role of Jos Verstappen in his F1 career

Max Verstappen spoke about his father Jos Verstappen and the role he has played in aiding him to victory over the years. The 24-year-old claimed his father believed in him at every step throughout his career and "went all the way."

In an interview at the Red Bull factory, current world champion Max Verstappen spoke about his family, including father Jos Verstappen and mother Sophie Kumpen. In the context of winning the world title, he said:

"It is a life mission my dad and myself had from when I was a little kid. My dad basically threw everything at it. He believed in me - he went all the way. When you achieve something like this, it was very emotional talking to my dad. You think back to all the travels throughout Europe you did in the van in go-karting back in the day working towards that ultimate goal."

Max Verstappen's father Jos is no stranger to F1 and the speed that comes with it. Verstappen Sr. is best known for having starred alongside F1 legend Michael Schumacher. The duo raced for the English racing team Benetton F1 in 1994, who gained popularity as catalysts for Schumacher's illustrious career.

Despite this, Jos Verstappen is only the second-most successful Dutch driver in the sport, behind his son Max.

Verstappen Jr. also spoke about the rest of his family, claiming they have sacrificed a fair amount for the young driver's racing career. He said:

"My close family, friends, my mum, my sister - it's been a real family effort because they had to suffer for it. That made it that extra special for sure."

Max Verstappen's mother Sophie Kumpen also has a racing heritage. She had raced alongside Jan Magnussen, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella and Dario Franchitti at the 1989 Junior Kart World Championships.

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Max Verstappen broke multiple records in the 2021 F1 season

Max Verstappen's victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix won him his maiden drivers' title in the sport, but that's not it. It also helped him break the legendary Michael Schumacher record for the highest number of podiums in a single season with 18.

However, Schumacher had a perfect score, meaning he achieved 17 podiums in a season which had only 17 races. The record helped the German driver win his fifth world drivers' title.

Sebastian Vettel had equaled his fellow German's record in the 2011 season, scoring 17 podiums in 19 races. In percentage terms, Schumacher has a 100% record whereas Max Verstappen's record translates to 81.8%.