Max Verstappen was once abandoned at a petrol station in Italy by his father Jos as punishment for a bad result during his karting days.
The Dutchman achieved his childhood dream of becoming a Formula 1 champion last season, becoming one of the youngest ever to do so in the process at the age of 24. And he looks set to be competing for the championship for many years to come, as long as Red Bull continue to provide a competitive car.
He has already achieved more than his father ever did during his own F1 career. Verstappen Sr is a veteran of more than 100 races in the category, but never won a race and stood on the podium only twice.
But the Red Bull ace is certain that he would not be the driver he is today, had it not been for his father's influence during his karting days. He has made no secret of how ruthless his dad could be, telling Channel 4 a fresh story about his childhood.
"My dad never said I was gonna be a champion," he told David Coulthard. "He was always the opposite, he'd tell me I was gonna be a truck driver or like a bus driver. He was always, in a good way I think, making me realize that what I was doing at the time was not enough."
It is not the first time Verstappen has revealed just how much tough love his dad was capable of. One incident saw him left behind at a petrol station in Italy, as his father fumed over a spin which had cost him a world championship a few weeks before his 15th birthday.
Verstappen told ESPN : "I've never seen my dad like that. He literally grabbed the go-kart and just threw it into the van. Of course, when we sat in the van, I wanted to talk to my dad about the incident. My dad said, 'Stop talking, I don't want to hear anything, just sit in the back, I don't want to hear anything about it'.
"But of course, I kept on trying to have a conversation until at one point he pulled off at a fuel station and said: 'Get out. Get out and I do not want to hear you anymore'. So he kicked me out and he drove off... and this is in the south of Italy."
"Luckily, my mum was there as well, so I called my mum and she was behind us on the motorway, so like five minutes later, she arrived. We were about to drive off and then my dad returned with the van and was like: 'Get in, but I do not want to hear a word'. Because my dad was with his at-the-time girlfriend, for sure she talked to him and said 'you cannot do that'."
