Max Verstappen’s MUM ‘could have been one of the best F1 drivers of all time’ but gave up dream at 21

MAX VERSTAPPEN could person been pursuing a Formula One bequest crafted by his mum.

The Dutchman was crowned a four-time World Champion during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

His father, Jos was an F1 driver, but Verstappen's mum, Sophie Kumpen was besides a champion successful karting and could person been a motorsport large successful her ain right.

That is the presumption of Red Bull squad main Christian Horner, who made a stunning assertion that she was adjacent among the "top 10 drivers successful the world".

As quoted by Marca, Horner said: "I competed against her successful 1989, successful the Junior Karting World Championship.

"In that race, determination were precise talented drivers, specified arsenic Jan Magnussen, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella oregon Dario Franchitti.

"And she was among the apical 10 drivers successful the world, without a doubt."

Eddie Jordan is besides a immense advocator of her talents and insists she should not beryllium forgotten successful the speech erstwhile radical talk astir Verstappen's racing tutelage.

Speaking to the On the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said: "Don’t hide that it’s not each astir his [Verstappen] dada [Jos], who drove for maine arsenic well, but his parent really is conscionable the champion astatine karting.

"She was perfectly an institution. She was amazing.”

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And it isn't conscionable F1 squad bosses who Kumpen, 50, commands the respect of, with 2009 satellite champion Jenson Button besides heaping praise connected her.

He said: "Sophie, Max's mother, was a fantastic driver.

"When I was racing karting successful 1995, she was my partner. I saw however she drove, I cognize she was precise good."

Belgian-born Kumpen started her vocation successful racing astatine the property of 11 and was the nationalist champion of karting astatine the property of 16 competing against men.

She besides finished ninth successful the satellite championships of the Formula A category.

But it is her 1995 triumph successful the Andrea Margutti Trophy, wherever she bushed F1 cult leader Trulli, that stands arsenic the item of her career.

However, Kumpen discontinue racing astatine the property of 21 aft getting joined to Jos successful 1996 earlier having 2 children together, Max successful 1997 and Victoria successful 1999, and deciding to prioritise raising them implicit her motorsport career.

Speaking to Marca, she reflected connected however the difficulties of being a woman and parent and the logistics of travelling truthful overmuch meant she had to springiness up connected her dream.

She said: "I wanted to get to Formula 1. I had already tried immoderate cars, but I joined Max's begetter and I had to marque a decision. 

"He was an F1 operator and we travelled a lot.

"So I gave up connected my dream, but present I'm having a batch of amusive seeing that my lad is doing what I wanted to do."

Verstappen himself has adjacent spoken astir his mother's racing vocation erstwhile successful speech with Horner.

After Horner said "she was precise good," Verstappen chopped him disconnected to say: "But past she got joined to my dad."

Kumpen and Jos stayed joined for 12 years earlier they got a divorce.

While Kumpen ne'er made it to F1, she did instrumentality to the way successful 2013 erstwhile much successful 2013 during the Formido Swift Cup.

However, her instrumentality ended successful a clang resulting successful a breached vertebra.