Max is 21 years old and on top of the world at the present . He is still a kid , at 21 almost everyone has no idea who they are or what they are going to be or do . He is a very fortunate person but that still doesn’t change that he is still a kid and all the fame and adulation that is getting right now will invariably affect him one way or another . He will either turn into an ******* that thinks he walks on water or with some good guidance will take everything in with some humility and grace and realize that he is a very fortunate person who got dealt good cards and capitalized on his good fortune.
Comparing Dutch culture (& fanaticism) to the Finnish culture is like comparing chalk and cheese, the Finnish people are far more reserved.
I tend to agree with Bas here. I am certainly no Max fan - but I admire how he has matured since the last races of last season and the beginning of this season. His attitude after "losing" the Hungarian GP was just amazing. One can only imagine the reaction of a so called GOAT if he had been in Max' shoes (or rather: in Max' car, with Max' tyres...). Max certainly capitalizes on his family's "pedigree" in motorsport, but that can also be said of others. Others who can only start to dream of Max' achievements so far. *** Yep, lookin' in your direction, Lance... ***
He has been racing since he is 6. During his time in karting he demonstrated to be a very down to earth kid. Although he did want to punch Ocon in face during the Brazilian GP last year, he is way way more calmer than his father, who by the way is a maniac. It seems that from his father side he inherited discipline, an extreme will to win, dedication to the sport, but not the bad things. Let's remember that he has racing DNA from both sides, his mother was an accomplished kart driver who defeated even world champions.
Thanks for pointing this out, Flavio. Very good point! Sophie Kumpen, Max' (Belgian) mother, had indeed a very successful karting career. She gave up her career when she married Jos. A little anecdote: it was Max' mum who assisted him when he had to get his drivers' licence. It was quite difficult to "unlearn" for him and to adapt to the reality of driving on normal (public) roads. BTW: there are currently three F1 drivers on the grid with a Belgian mother: Max, Lando and Stroll.
To answer your question, you have to take a look at my original post: Max certainly capitalizes on his family's "pedigree" in motorsport, but that can also be said of others. Others who can only start to dream of Max' achievements so far. *** Yep, lookin' in your direction, Lance... *** I deliberately used the word "capital(ize)" to point in the direction of Stroll. It is his Dad's fortune, and no family "pedigree" in motorsport whatsoever who gave Stroll his seat in F1.
I agree with you , the only unknown is what fame will do to him , he is already famous and after a couple WDC’s , I think it will be totally out of control frenzy for him if it isn’t already .
To the OPs question, I believe it’s related to race and “style” (which may also be connected to race). In my yahoo newsfeed, for some reason I get a lot of articles about Meghan Markel. I’m not a monarchist, nor do I have any knowledge about her or watch her show(s?). But when I occasionally click on the articles, the comments are so filled with racist vitriol for her, it’s shocking to me in this day and age. So, I get the impression that Brits are still hung up on a class system and “lower breeding”, which of course has a racial component. If David Beckham were in Lewis’s seat I think he would be much more popular as a symbol of national pride, and he’s arguably as much a prick as Lewis. Edit: it’s hilarious to me that various spellings of deebag were censored but prick was not. But I am admittedly an outsider looking in, which may be good and bad for my perspective.
well if you stand next to graham hill or sir jackie , as i once did at watkins glen, i think the answer requires little thought. whats-his-name isn't even in the same league! they were the pinnacle of the sport and represented it without peer. their efforts truly represented what seperates f1 from other venues that are beer-swilling, farting, metal banging heros to the dimwitted masses that the u.s. calls motorsport!
Sincerely, I think that if someone has a good family background, has a good sense of reality, humility, that person will handle fame & power well. Jos has a terrible record of beating ex-girlfriends, punching other drivers, etc., but it seems Max was not affected by it. The impression I got (saw him closely during karting in 2012) is that the he is somewhat humble and down to earth. He does have a sense of having superior talent, but not in an arrogant way.
Not entirely... A friend of mine who knew Max during his time in karting spoke to him last year and he said that his father was banned from the Red Bull garage for some GPs. Image Unavailable, Please Login
And... spent the last 6 seasons making Ferrari look like a Bush league team racking up championships while taking down Schumi’s once untouchable records one at a time. My standard for judging a race driver is by what he can do on the track in one lap with no tire, fuel, or pit team strategy interference to take away from pure driving skills - Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most pole positions, having qualified first on 87 occasions. Smashing Michael Schumacher in second place with 68 pole positions and more race starts. Ayrton Senna is third with 65 poles.
Funny how Hamilton was launguishing in the WDC table for a few years while at McLaren. Lewis desparately needed the almighty Mercedes. No requirement to develop the car - job was already done. Fortunately Lauda was persuasive. Rosberg, Hamilton, Bottas - all very fast in the Mercedes