'Same mistake I made'- Jos Verstappen gives warning to Liam Lawson about his son Max

Everybody knows that reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen comes from a racing family. His father, Jos Verstappen, was a Formula 1 driver and his mother was a Go-kart driver. Talking about Jos Verstappen, he was the teammate of the 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher at Benetton.

His son Max Verstappen will have a new teammate for the 2025 season. Liam Lawson replaces the underperforming Sergio Perez at Red Bull and Jos Verstappen was very happy with the move. But Jos has given a big warning to the Kiwi driver ahead of the 2025 F1 season. Lawson was chosen over Yuki Tsunoda for the senior team and many are already criticising the move. However, Red Bull management believes Lawson has the perfect mindset to drive as a teammate of Max for the 2025 season.

Many drivers were teammates of Max Verstappen in the past, like Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez. But none of them could succeed against the Dutch driver in terms of points or race wins. Jos Verstappen advised young Liam Lawson ahead of the 2025 season about being Max Verstappen’s teammate. Jos brings his own experience when he was the teammate of the great Michael Schumacher at Benetton. 

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'I made the same mistake'- Jos Verstappen

In 1994, Jos came to F1 as a test driver and later became the teammate of Michael Schumacher, who was driving for Benetton. Schumacher won the championship that year but Jos only managed to come 10th in the overall championship. Jos says, “He shouldn't make the same mistake I made at Benetton in 1994—wanting to keep up at all costs. He was extremely fast, extremely talented, and the top dog in the team. I really wanted to drive as fast as him, especially in races.

But I couldn't do that with my limited experience at the time. That’s why I made mistakes. I wanted to put my head through the wall.” But the elder Verstappen and Michael Schumacher became very close friends and the two families are very close. He added, “Max has a lot in common with Michael—uncompromising on the race track, but kind, sensitive, and caring as a private person." Jos Verstappen even said that Michael Schumacher didn't differentiate his son Mick Schumacher and Max Verstappen, as he advised both in common during their karting days.

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