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

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Max Verstappen was seen to have an unfair advantage over his rivals during his time in karting, Pedro de la Rosa says.

Verstappen received karting lessons from Michael Schumacher, underlining the privilege that came with being an F1 driver’s son. His father, Jos, was Schumacher’s teammate for eight races in his first title-winning season (1994).

The Verstappens are one of 20 father/son duos across F1 history. The Hills and the Rosbergs stand out on the list, with all four drivers winning world championships.

Pedro de la Rosa recalls conversation with Jos Verstappen over Max Verstappen’s potential

De la Rosa, who had three stints in F1 between 1999 and 2012, heard that Verstappen was a ‘phenomenon’ from an early age.

While Jos could be ‘cold’, he also used his expertise to optimise his son’s engine, giving him an advantage over his competitors.

There were even some accusations at the time that the Verstappens were cheating, but Max’s success in F1 has underlined his rare talent. That innate speed may have fostered jealousy.

Verstappen’s mother, Sophie Kumpen, was also a racing driver, competing in the karting world championship as well as touring cars.

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De la Rosa recalled on DAZN: “One day I met Jos Verstappen at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and I said to him: ‘Hey Jos, I’ve been told that your son is a phenomenon in karting.”

“And he tells me: ‘Well, he still has a lot to learn. We’ll see, Pedro, you know how this sport works. I thought: ‘What a cold father.’ I refer to the evidence after his career.

“And even back then, everyone was telling Max Verstappen: ‘Yeah, yeah, very good, but his dad prepares the kart engine for him. Be careful, these guys don’t have a normal engine.

“And they hinted that they were cheating, and then he wins everything, he’s a superstar, and you say to these people: ‘Do they cheat in F1 too?'”

What was Max Verstappen’s record in karting?

Verstappen began racing competitively at the age of seven, winning his first championship in 2005.

After claiming dominant titles in the Netherlands and Belgium, he graduated to the European and global scene in 2010, where he raced against future F1 opponents like Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc.

• READ MORE: Charles Leclerc’s former driver coach says he can challenge Max Verstappen ‘in an inferior car’

In 2013, Verstappen became a European champion in multiple classes and also won the world title at the highest level. His professional career began the following season in Euro F3.

Just two years after leaving karting, Verstappen became the youngest driver in F1 history with Toro Rosso. He then won on his debut for Red Bull in 2016.