Max Verstappen’s father says he is proud to have helped the Red Bull driver become one of the top stars of Formula 1.
"Max was my life project, yes," Dutchman Jos, who also raced in F1 but did not win a race, told the Dutch publication Formule 1.
"I wanted to win with him, become a champion. We had a goal together."
Verstappen, 47, had his own achievements in his career, including at Le Mans, but he insists he is "not really interested at all" in them anymore.
"I don’t even want to talk about that," he said. "I found the time with Max much more fun than my own career.
"I think that when you can achieve something like that with your own child, it is much more intense than when you do it for yourself. Put it this way: I did more for Max’s career than for my own career."
For his part, Max Verstappen says he is eternally grateful for his father’s support.
"What he did for me is of course unbelievable," said the 22-year-old. "I can never thank him enough for that.
"Of course there are plenty of fathers who do a lot for their child. But that intensively? I couldn’t possibly mention everything that he did."