An FIA race steward and a former teammate of Jos Verstappen recently shared a delightful childhood memory involving Max Verstappen. Max’s presence in the F1 paddock dates back to well before his own racing career began, thanks to his father Jos’ extensive involvement in the sport, which included stints at Benetton, Arrows, Tyrrell, Stewart, and Simtek.
In 2001, during Jos’s time with the Arrows team, a very young Max, only three to four years old at the time, frequently visited the Arrows garage and hospitality area, allowing him to forge a friendship with Arrows racing driver Enrique Bernoldi.
Enrique Bernoldi shares a memorable anecdote about Max Verstappen getting stuck on the toilet.
In a recent appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Bernoldi delved into the intricacies of his connection with the Verstappens, providing insights into his friendship with Jos. He also shared a charming anecdote from his past, recalling one of his earliest memories of Max when the young child attempted to use the restroom independently.
Regrettably, Max’s quest for self-sufficiency in the bathroom didn’t quite go as planned, resulting in a humorous and slightly frantic moment as he found himself momentarily stuck on the toilet!
“I met him many times, many races,” Bernoldi said, when asked if he’d met the young Max Verstappen during 2001.
“Max was a small boy and actually, once… this was quite a funny story.
“I had to go by my room in the motorhome, just before a race. Max went to the restroom and he got stuck on the toilet!
“He had a little child plastic booth, and he got stuck in the toilet!
“I could hear some noises and he wasn’t coming out! I went in, and took him – in his booth – and gave him to his mum Sophie to solve it!”
Enrique Bernoldi admires Max Verstappen’s determined and dominating mindset.
Over two decades later, Verstappen stands as a dominant force in Formula 1, having recently clinched his third World Championship title (and almost certainly mastered the art of using the restroom independently). Meanwhile, Bernoldi, now a seasoned FIA steward, openly conveys his deep admiration for the unwavering mindset that Verstappen brings to the world of motorsport.
“I’m very impressed by him,” he said.
“I think Max is only 25 and he has achieved [so much]. He’s passed Ayrton Senna on wins already so I am sure he will stand up there with the greatest of all time.
“I think he’s up there with Lewis [Hamilton], with Senna, with Michael [Schumacher]. He’s really, really fast now. Also what I like the most about him is the mindset of domination against his opponents.
“They go to try to block him, or try to pass him, and it feels like they know, in their heads, they’re going to lose – he will come out ahead. The way he just brakes so late and gets alongside the guy and the guy can’t do anything.
“He’s there, coming from such a long way back. He’s done that many times. He did that when he won the championship the first time, he’s done that, to many, many drivers, and I think his mindset of his domination is really, really impressive.”
