Max is allowed to make mistakes and learn from them

Published on 07 February 2014 by Stefan Meens

After two out of four Florida Winter Series events, Max displayed his racing pedigree. Despite his lack of experience, the Florida Winter Series are his first competitive outing apart from several tests in Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula 3, the young Dutchman has performed better than expected.

Max' father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, is delighted with his son's progress but warns the Verstappen fans to have realistic expectations. As many drivers will tell you, winning is the goal, but you learn the most from your mistakes.

Max is supported by father and mentor Jos

"Look at youngsters like Nicholas Latifi that drive in Formula 3. Those guys have a lot more experience compared to Max, who practically speaking hasn't driven a race at this level", explains Jos. Where most of the experienced drivers know many of the pitfalls, a rookie still has to discover what these are. Jos: "During the first weekend in Sebring, Max could have won two out of three races but as he lacked the experience, he was not able to."

Although Max has long road ahead of him, Verstappen senior is confident his son has got what it takes. "If you look at how much Max develops and progressed within weeks, it is simply fantastic. That is why it's good he makes mistakes now, so he learns from them so he can mature further."

Max shows he has the ability to adapt and learn from his mistakes

A feature that stands out is Max' ability to quickly learn and adapt. He proved this during the second round of the series in Palm Beach where he did not repeat the mistakes made in Sebring. "The way he picked up the pace after Sebring is really good as he scored his first podium in the first race and he took his first win in race 3, despite struggling with a technical issue regarding the gearbox in the third race. It's obvious he picks up important lessons that will benefit him in the future."

In short, Max is allowed to make mistakes and he does not need to win every race. The point is to learn from the issues he encounters and the mistakes naturally made by a rookie, so he is well equipped when he climbs the motorsport ladder. The higher you go in motorsport, the less room there is for mistakes as the series and championships become more serious. However for now, Max is certainly proving that his raw on track speed is matched by his ability to learn and adapt.