Max Verstappen’s MUM ‘could have been one of the best F1 drivers of all time’ but gave up dream at 21
MAX VERSTAPPEN could have been following a Formula One legacy crafted by his mum.
The Dutchman was crowned a four-time World Champion during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
His father, Jos was an F1 driver, but Verstappen‘s mum, Sophie Kumpen was also a champion in karting and could have been a motorsport great in her own right.
That is the view of Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who made a stunning claim that she was even among the “top ten drivers in the world”.
As quoted by Marca, Horner said: “I competed against her in 1989, in the Junior Karting World Championship.
“In that race, there were very talented drivers, such as Jan Magnussen, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella or Dario Franchitti.
“And she was among the top ten drivers in the world, without a doubt.”
Eddie Jordan is also a huge advocate of her talents and insists she should not be forgotten in the conversation when people speak about Verstappen’s racing tutelage.
Speaking to the On the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said: “Don’t forget that it’s not all about his [Verstappen] dad [Jos], who drove for me as well, but his mother actually is just the best at karting.
“She was absolutely an institution. She was amazing.”
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And it isn’t just F1 team bosses who Kumpen, 50, commands the respect of, with 2009 world champion Jenson Button also heaping praise on her.
He said: “Sophie, Max’s mother, was a fantastic driver.
“When I was racing karting in 1995, she was my partner. I saw how she drove, I know she was very good.”
Belgian-born Kumpen started her career in racing at the age of 11 and was the national champion of karting at the age of 16 competing against men.
She also finished ninth in the world championships of the Formula A category.
But it is her 1995 victory in the Andrea Margutti Trophy, where she beat F1 cult hero Trulli, that stands as the highlight of her career.
However, Kumpen quit racing at the age of 21 after getting married to Jos in 1996 before having two children together, Max in 1997 and Victoria in 1999, and deciding to prioritise raising them over her motorsport career.
Speaking to Marca, she reflected on how the difficulties of being a wife and mother and the logistics of travelling so much meant she had to give up on her dream.
Women in F1
Only five female drivers have officially competed in Formula One.
The first of these was Maria Teresa de Filippis in the 1958 and 1959 seasons for Maserati and Porsche.
Only one has managed to score points in F1, with Lella Lombardi scoring 0.5 points during her career from 1974–1976.
Her three seasons in the motorsport also mark her as the most experienced with 17 races (12 starts) to her name with March, RAM and Williams.
Olympian skier Divina Galica MBE is the only British female driver to grace the sport but failed to qualify to start a race in three attempts.
South Africa’s Desiré Wilson and Italy’s Giovanna Amati in 1980 and 1992 also attempted to qualify to start an F1 race but were unsuccessful.
Female drivers have competed in testing events, with Jessica Hawkins being the latest woman to test an F1 car in 2023.
However, Susie Wolff was the last driver to take part in an active F1 session in 2015.
Wolff is now the director of the F1 Academy scheme for female drivers.
She said: “I wanted to get to Formula 1. I had already tried some cars, but I married Max’s father and I had to make a decision.
“He was an F1 driver and we travelled a lot.
“So I gave up on my dream, but now I’m having a lot of fun seeing that my son is doing what I wanted to do.”
Verstappen himself has even spoken about his mother’s racing career when in conversation with Horner.
After Horner said “she was very good,” Verstappen cut him off to say: “But then she got married to my dad.”
Kumpen and Jos stayed married for 12 years before they got a divorce.
While Kumpen never made it to F1, she did return to the track in 2013 once more in 2013 during the Formido Swift Cup.
However, her return ended in a crash resulting in a broken vertebra.
F1 2025 grid
Here are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Williams: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
RB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBC
Haas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon