The Verstappen family recently opened up in Ziggo Sport's documentary 'Whatever It Takes' about how Max moved to the top of motorsport. That sometimes was very hard, but according to Helmut Marko a decent young man came out of it.
"In private, he is a friendly, well-behaved young man who is averse to ego," says the Austrian in the documentary. "But in a racing car he is a different person. It's very impressive that he can talk on any part of the track".
"While most drivers are waiting for a straight section. In a fast corner, they only focus on making that corner and you can hear how heavy they breathe. If not with Max. When he overtakes or takes the lead, he always has good comments. And he also has a good sense of humour".
Jos Verstappen temperament is somewhere in Max
Nevertheless, part of the hard upbringing of father Jos also stuck with Max. That has made him a mentally resilient driver, but now and then his father's temperament comes to the surface. That is something Verstappen could still work on, according to Marko.
"If he loses control, he becomes impatient and that is his weak point. And sometimes that Jos stance of putting your hear through the wall comes up. That's getting better and better, but that's not an easy character trait, I'd say".
Max is then clear about that himself. If he's angry, he's angry, it is what it is. "That's just the way I am. I'm just straightforward and I'm not fake. If it sucks, it sucks. If it's good, it's good. And that's what you'll hear."