Alex Brundle reveals the ‘extreme’ difference in how he and Max Verstappen were raised by their F1 fathers

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On his way to becoming a four-time world champion in Formula 1, Max Verstappen has shown a high level of professionalism and hardness that is required to stand alone at the very top and become one of the greats.

The Red Bull driver has had a rollercoaster of a career in F1 since taking his first seat at Toro Rosso in 2015 as a baby-faced 17-year-old.

Since then, Verstappen has won 65 Grands Prix and stood on the podium for a total of 117 times on his way to winning four consecutive F1 drivers’ championships between 2021 and 2024.

However, it looks as if that streak will be coming to an end this season after Verstappen claimed he wouldn’t win another Grand Prix this season following the race weekend in Hungary.

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Alex Brundle highlights Jos Verstappen’s ‘extreme’ parenting style

Speaking on an episode of The Red Flags Podcast, Alex Brundle was asked about the parenting style of his father, Martin Brundle, in comparison to that of Jos Verstappen, to which Brundle replied, “I don’t think he was ever quite as extreme as Jos.

“But he’s definitely in that old school racer mode of when you go racing, especially the era he went racing in, if stuff went wrong, people got hurt. What that does is leave you a very short period of time to potentially save your own life before you go out or make a decision, right?

“So it necessitates this incredible bluntness to the way things are delivered, because stuff needs to be right, it’s life or death, and you only potentially have this year, this race, this opportunity to do it, which makes them quite extreme parents to have.

“It really forces you. And I think to kind of overcome that as a driver, you have to be a character, a little bit like Max. It either breaks you in terms of your mentality and makes you go, ‘Oh, man, I just can’t do this.’ Or it turns you into just steel, and that’s where Verstappen is at.”

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Max Verstappen’s personality has been a subject of discussion in the paddock recently

The personality of the 27-year-old was also highlighted recently by his rivals on the F1 grid. Alex Albon called Verstappen ‘misunderstood’ in a recent YouTube video from Red Bull celebrating Verstappen’s 200th Grand Prix with the team.

Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar also joined in by explaining how helpful the four-time world champion has been in the development of some of the younger drivers in their rookie F1 season.

After filming a promotional video for Ford with the Dutchman, Chris Harris highlighted Verstappen’s discrepancy in UK media, stating that they have simply ‘got him wrong’.

Verstappen Sr echoed the same sentiments as Harris previously, sharing his anger in the landscape of social media. The 53-year-old isn’t happy with the way his son is portrayed on different social platforms, stating that he doesn’t ‘recognise’ the way in which fans see Max.