David Coulthard says winless F1 driver should have been the Max Verstappen ‘of his generation’

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David Coulthard believes Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, had the talent to be just as good when he raced in Formula 1.

Verstappen Sr made his F1 debut in 1994 as Michael Schumacher’s Benetton teammate. He would have three stints in the sport overall after breaks in 1995 and 2002.

The Dutchman scored two podiums – both third-place finishes during his rookie season – but never won a race. Coulthard, who competed in F1 from 1994 to 2008, saw his whole career unfold.

David Coulthard: Jos Verstappen’s F1 career was mismanaged

Speaking on the Cars & Money podcast, Coulthard recalled Verstappen’s first-ever F1 test for Arrows in Portugal. He was ‘super quick’ but overconfident, as evidenced by a heavy crash.

Like his son just over two decades later, Verstappen’s rise was rapid. He reached the pinnacle of motorsport off the back of a German F3 title in 1993.

But a combination of mismanagement and a lack of ‘maturity’, in Coulthard’s eyes, meant he never fulfilled his potential.

Which F1 driver is the ultimate ‘what might have been?’

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“I remember Jos testing a Formula 1 car for the first time in Estoril,” he said. “I was with Williams, and he’d gone out already.

“He’d only been in Formula 3, so he’d gone from karting to Formula 3 and really made a big name for himself. He came to do the test and he was super quick.

“I remember being in the public toilets with him the next morning and saying, ‘You did really well yesterday, I guess you just keep it clean today.’

“He said, ‘Wait till you see what I do this morning.’ Within half an hour, he destroyed the car. A bit of overconfidence.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen was accused of ‘cheating’ by his karting rivals but he was simply better than them

“He went straight to Benetton alongside Michael. He was just too young, brilliant talent but he didn’t have the maturity, then his career did that [gestures downwards].

“Whereas I think if his career had been managed better, Jos would have been the Max of his generation.”

Verstappen Jr is already a four-time F1 world champion and ranks third overall for race wins with 71. Should he continue in the sport long-term, which is uncertain, he will likely surpass Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton ahead of him.

Jos was able to get Max karting lessons from Michael Schumacher, underlining the advantage he enjoyed over his peers. But no-one can question the 28-year-old’s natural gifts.