Sophie Kumpen, Max Verstappen’s mum in F1? 🏎️
The two-time world champion’s mother, Sophie Kumpen was on track to become a full-time F1 driver says veteran racer Eddie Jordan.
Eddie Jordan recently stated in the ‘Formula for One’ podcast that Max Verstappen’s mum was ‘wonderfully quick.’
“I think that Max Verstappen’s mother was a serious, absolutely wonderfully quick girl,” and she, without any question, could have made it, in my opinion, into F1’’, he further added. He also suggested that she could’ve made it as an F1 driver if given the right mechanisms.
Kumpen however didn’t pursue a career in motorsport. She only prays for her son’s success, she stated in a recent interview.
Kumpen’s early karting days, champion worthy?
Jos Verstappen, the father of Max has a pretty well-known F1 career racing for the Benetton team. Max’s mother Sophie Kumpen too had an excellent karting career back in the 1980s. Kumpen had raced with the 2009 world champion Jenson Button during her karting stint.
Redbull team boss, Christian Horner also raced with Kumpen in the Formula A World Championship. The 47-year-old started karting at a young age. At the age of 16, she finished 9th in that championship. In an interview with Business F1 Horner said with regards to Kumpen, “ I raced against Max’s mum in 1989 in the junior kart world championship. In that race, there were some super-talented drivers: Jan Magnussen, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella and Dario Franchitti. She was top 10 in the world, for sure,”
The push for female drivers in F1
It’s no secret that Formula One is a male-dominated sport. Although many efforts are being made to increase female representation, there is still a lot of work to be done.
In the same ‘Formula for One’ podcast ex-McLaren driver, David Coulthard thinks that it won’t take long for a female driver in F1. “I believe that in the next decade, if not before, there will be a worthy woman racing in F1. It’s about being able to create opportunities and develop your skills in the same way as a Verstappen or a Lewis Hamilton,” Coulthard added.
The last appearance made by a female in F1 was Susie Wolff for the Williams team, where she drove an Fp1 session during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
