Ex-Formula 1 driver Jaime Alguersuari believes Max Verstappen has been so successful at Red Bull because his father “taught him through violence”, meaning he was ready for Dr Helmut Marko’s high expectations.
Alguersuari raced for Toro Rosso from 2009 until 2011, before he was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo in 2012.
The Spaniard knows how challenging it is in the Red Bull environment, where Marko pushes drivers to their absolute limits.
It’s known that Verstappen’s father – ex-F1 driver Jos Verstappen – was very hard on him, but only to make him capable of winning races.
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Alguersuari revealed that when the Red Bull driver didn’t win a karting race, his father “used violence” to send a message to the 25-year-old.
The ex-Toro Rosso driver insists he’d never raise his own son in the same way, with it being “shameful” behaviour.
“It’s the exception that proves the rule. His father taught him, through violence, to win races,” Alguersuari told AS.com.
“That’s how he was trained. There was no luck. They pushed him so far that they ended up with a perfect driver. His father used violence when Max did not win in karting. I would never raise my son like that. It was shameful, but it worked for them.”
Despite Verstappen’s challenging upbringing, he has gone on to become one of the greatest racing drivers of all-time.
Verstappen is currently on a run of five consecutive pole positions, whilst he’s also claimed six wins in a row.
If that wasn’t enough, he’s all but certain to claim a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship, raising the question as to whether he’s better than the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
Alguersuari refused to pick the trio apart, with him noting that the “best driver” is typically the one with the “most dominant car”.
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Quite clearly, Verstappen has the strongest car on the grid currently.
“The best driver usually drives the most dominant car because everything is going very well, the motivation is higher, things come naturally, the confidence is huge…” added the Spaniard.
“That’s what is happening with Max at the moment. Everything goes very easily then.”