F1 pundit opens up on how Max Verstappen has been 'turned into steel' with his upbringing

Jos Verstappen trained his son, Max Verstappen, on his way to F1, as the Dutchman's racing style has often attracted attention in the paddock. Opening up on why this is the case, Martin Brundle's son and F1 analyst, Alex Brundle, shared the reasoning behind Verstappen's rigidity as a driver.

The 27-year-old has been on the F1 grid since 2015 after being fast-tracked his way onto the paddock following the conclusion of his European F3 championship. Moreover, in his early days in the sport, Verstappen's driving was marked with certain excursions, but his hunger for winning was clear.

While it polarized a section of the F1 audience, Brundle was able to empathize with the Dutchman, as he also had an F1 parent. The 35-year-old shared how their parents' era required "bluntness" in drivers, a trait that followed into their kids as they began their racing ventures.

This was ultimately the reason behind Max Verstappen being turned into steel, as Brundle said on the Red Flags podcast:

"The era he went racing in, if stuff went wrong, people got hurt... 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.

"Like it really forces you. And I think to 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 deal with this.’ Or it turns you into just steel. And that’s where Verstappen is at."

On the other hand, Alex Brundle tried his hand at joining F1 by racing in the junior series' a few years, but ultimately joined the grid as an analyst for F1 TV, while Verstappen is a four-time world drivers' champion and drives for Red Bull.

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Max Verstappen can't "carry" Red Bull for the whole season

Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the final practice session for the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary race weekend - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen won his first world title with Red Bull in 2021. The partnership continued to flourish in the following years, as the 27-year-old went on to win three more championships, going down in history as one of the most dominant eras.

However, Red Bull soon started to lose its edge over its rivals as McLaren is now the team to beat at the top of F1. Though Verstappen sits third in the standings, he is a distant 97 points away from the championship leader, Oscar Piastri's tally.

Verstappen has scored 187 of Red Bull's 194 points so far this season. Though this showcases his excellence behind the wheel, Martin Brundle shared how the Dutchman can't keep on carrying the team in the F1 landscape, as he said on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, via RacingNews365:

"But, you can't pick a car up and carry it for a whole season."

Max Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, but certain clauses are understood to be present in the Dutchman's contract that could help him leave Milton Keynes before his tenure ends.