Jos Verstappen reveals Ferrari wanted to sign Max in 2016: “They looked for us after first year in F1”. Ferrari wanted to sign Max in 2016.

Max Verstappen’s childhood was not like that of an ordinary child. The track, whether he liked it or not, became a part of his life very early on and never let go. The credit (and blame) for his strict but necessary upbringing goes to Jos Verstappen, Max’s father.

In a revealing interview for the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Verstappen Sr. shared the secrets behind his son’s success. When reminiscing about Max’s early days in Formula 1, Jos revealed that the first person to pursue the two-time world champion was Toto Wolff.

“We went to his house in Vienna,” Jos recounts. “We had a serious discussion, but I don’t think Toto had followed him closely in karting and really knew how special Max was. Otherwise, he would have signed him without hesitation, even without a junior program [Mercedes didn’t have one at the time].” – the former Formula 1 driver pointed out.

It was Red Bull that eventually secured the underage Max Verstappen. Much of the credit goes to the intuition of Helmut Marko, but also to Max’s determined character, evident even back then.

“We met Helmut in 2014 at Hockenheim. We went up to the Red Bull motorhome and joined the gathering. Helmut said, ‘I only have twenty minutes.’ Max, who was 17 at the time, replied, ‘That’s more than enough.’ Then Helmut wasted no time: ‘Next year, I want this guy in an F1 Toro Rosso.’ The deal was done.”

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Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s interest
Jos Verstappen also revealed that his son Max was on Scuderia Ferrari’s radar. In fact, it seems that the Maranelo team was impressed by the Dutchman’s talent from his first year in Formula 1.

“They contacted us after Max’s first year in Formula 1,” Jos confirms. “However, we never spoke with the current management. Now Max has everything at Red Bull, a competitive car and team, so it wouldn’t make sense to switch. However, wherever he goes in the future, it would make a difference if he is surrounded by the right people.” – Jos Verstappen concluded.