Sebastian Vettel has raised doubts over Max Verstappen's treatment at the hands of his father as he tried to make the grade in F1.
Verstappen is on the verge of his second world title after victory last year, although he has been made to wait following last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix. His father Jos' tough-love approach is well-known across the circuit, particularly during Verstappen's karting days where he was even left at a fuel station after a poor performance.
While those methods have guided Verstappen to the top of the sport, former world champion Vettel has questioned if that is the approach necessary for aspiring elite athletes.
Asked by Road and Track about Verstappen's upbringing, Vettel pondered: "What do we think makes someone more resilient? I didn’t get beaten up. But if you do get beaten up your whole life, does that work? Or does it work to be loved and explained the ways of how the world works?
“Being a father myself, obviously I have these challenges every day, and if you say, okay, my children are allowed to talk back, well, then you also need to face the fact that they are talking back.
“So I think it is fascinating, because it’s so much of who we are later on and how we manage situations. And I’m not talking about how many races we might win. Our childhood is fundamental. So much can be done right, and so much can be done wrong.”
Verstappen had gone into Singapore with Vettel's record of nine consecutive wins in his sights but he had to settle for seventh spot.
He could however break the record of wins in an F1 season, which the German currently shares with Michael Schumacher on 13. Both drivers had less races than Verstappen though, with the leader boasting 11 victories from 17 races with five more to come this season.
