Max Verstappen prevented Lewis Hamilton from breaking Michael Schumacher’s record of most titles by winning his first world championship. The Red Bull driver passed Lewis on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP to deny him a record eighth world championship in Formula One.
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But Max and Michael have a connection that goes way beyond F1. Michael and Max’s father, Jos Verstappen, were teammates in Benetton during the early part of the 1990s. Both drivers developed a friendly relationship off the track and they would go on holidays together with their families. Max Verstappen states that he did not view Schumacher as a 7-time world champion but as ‘Uncle Michael’.
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Max Verstappen reminisces on the time spent with Michael Schumacher
The 2021 world champion mentioned that he has a very different experience of hanging out with the former Ferrari legend. He stated that he found Michael to be very kind and warm towards him.
🎙Max: "O zamanlar üç ya da dört yaşındaydım. Tek bildiğim şey [onun] Michael Amca olduğuydu. Çok nazikti. Son derece harika bir aile babasıydı. Onu hiç rekorlar kıran dünya şampiyonu olarak görmedim, çünkü bunun farkında değildim!"#Formula1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Hk6ZRfJiH7
— Motorsport.com Türkiye 🇹🇷 (@motorsportcomtr) January 1, 2022
“I was three or four years old at the time. All I knew was that [he] was Uncle Michael. He was very kind. He was such a wonderful family man. I never saw him as a world record-breaking champion because I didn’t realize it!” said Max.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Young Driver Test – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 14, 2021, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during testing REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Max and Michael have a very similar approach to life as well. Both drivers are hard as nails on the track but relaxed and fun off the track in their personal lives. Former Red Bull and McLaren driver David Coulthard mentioned that he is a fan of Max Verstappen’s driving and the Dutchman reminds him of Michael Schumacher.
“He’s an exceptional human, an exceptional athlete. He’s brilliant and divisive. Who else do we know that’s brilliant and divisive? Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, to name but a few. So some have been able to do it.” said Coulthard.
It is nice to see Max revealing some of his memories with the 7-time world champion. Do you think Max Verstappen can get close to winning 7 World Championships like Schumacher?
READ MORE: WATCH: Max Verstappen Displays his Masterclass as a 12-Year-Old on Karts
