Max Verstappen exploded onto the world of Formula 1 with Toro Rosso in 2015, when he was just 17. He was the youngest F1 driver to make a debut at the time. The Dutchman made a name for himself as an aggressive and fearless driver, traits that have earned him praise and equal criticism as well.
Now, four F1 Drivers’ Championships later, Verstappen is still as aggressive as he used to be. But the main difference is that he is more consistent and has a greater feel for the car now. And that can be due to the fact that he has had intense practice in that specific department since a young age, according to his former trainer.
Bradley Scanes reveals how Max Verstappen’s father trained him since a young age
Bradley Scanes was Verstappen’s trainer for four seasons, from 2020 to 2023. He handled the driver’s conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy, and overall preparations for races too. Reports say that Scanes left Verstappen’s team to focus more on his family.
Recently, he hopped on the High Performance podcast to explain how Verstappen’s father, Jos, trained the driver when he was younger.
He said, “You listen to some of the stories of his past, growing up with his father. His dad would send Max out in his go-kart, he would change something on the go-kart and he’d give Max two laps to come back in and tell him what he’d changed.”
“And you see that now. He’ll drive out in the Red Bull, he’ll come back in, he’ll be like, ‘Have you changed something on the left front?’” Scanes added. He also mentioned that Verstappen always knew what the change was even if it had little to no impact on the overall performance of the car.
It is no secret that Jos Verstappen put his son under rigorous training methods when he was younger. His son had to adopt to harsh conditions, and also endure challenging mind games from his own father.
It isn’t all that surprising that the F1 icon changed some aspects of a go-kart just so that Max could figure it out. Although it is a great way to build a feel towards what he’s driving. While this method of training was extreme, its safe to claim that it ultimately paid off for Verstappen, considering how that is one major attribute that sets him apart from his rivals today.
Can Max Verstappen win another race this year?
The Red Bull star has won only two races so far this season: the Emilia Romagna and Japanese Grand Prix. It is looking unlikely that he wins another event this calendar year, considering how the McLaren drivers are running away with it at this point. Verstappen has also not secured a podium in the last three races.
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After the Hungarian GP, Verstappen claimed that Red Bull may not win another F1 race in 2025. One of the major issues for Red Bull this year has been tyre management. Both of McLaren’s cars have been durable and excellent in managing tyres and ensuring that they last long.
But the Red Bull cars struggle at that and both Verstappen and his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda struggle to find the optimal window for it to work. That is an issue that the Red Bull team has to sort out if they aim to fight for race wins throughout the second half of the season.
