With only 20 drivers making in into Formula 1 each season, it is one of the most exclusive and unattainable careers possible, requiring a significant blend of talent, luck and financing.
Jos Verstappen has been criticised recently after stories emerged that explained how the Dutchman coached his son Max into motor racing at a young age.
It has been reported that the 50-year-old would force his son to stay out in the pouring race to practice driving in extreme conditions, even after the other children had been sent inside to shelter from the freezing cold.
This parenting style clearly worked for the Verstappen family, as now at only 25 years of age Max Verstappen is a two-time Formula 1 world champion and on course to go down in history as one of the greatest drivers of all time.
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Jos Verstappen dedicated hour and hours of his time to ensuring his son had the best possible chance of reaching the heights of Formula 1 and while Max has admitted that it helped him massively, he has said that he will not be looking to adopt a similar approach should he have children in the future.
“I needed it. I definitely ant kids and if they want to race, that’s fine. I do think I would do it differently than how my father and I handled it,” said the two-time world champion.
“I don’t see that happening at the moment. But for me, it’s easy to talk because I don’t have children. Maybe I think very differently when the time comes but, the passion he had went very far. He did everything for me. Tuning engines, preparing karts. I don’t see myself doing that.
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“At least I’m not going to push my kids to race. They have to want it themselves. And if you still go for it with your son or daughter, then you can no longer drive in Formula 1 yourself, I think. You have to start laying the foundation from the age of four. I want to be there myself.”
While Verstappen is yet to get married or have a child, which is understandable considering he is only 25, his partner Kelly Piquet has a daughter as a result of her previous relationship with Daniil Kvyat, who was replaced by Verstappen at Red Bull in 2016.
The Dutchman has claimed that he could walk away from Formula 1 as early as 2028 when his contract expires, leaving it unlikely that he will remain in the sport anywhere near as long as the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.