Max Verstappen has always had speed running through his veins – and the talent followed him to Formula 1. But unlike what many imagine, he did not inherit the desire to race only from his father Jos Verstappen, currently competing in Rally, but also from his mother Sophie Kumpen, a former driver who raced in numerous international karting championships. And on this Mother’s Day, learn a little more about her story.
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The Belgian’s career began when she was only 11 years old, largely influenced by her own family – her father always attended championships and her uncle raced off-road. In 1986, she competed for the first time in karting, gradually growing until reaching the Formula A World Championship in 1991.
Throughout her early years in motorsport, she participated in several international championships and always caught attention for her smooth driving and consistency in lap times. She even competed against names like Jenson Button, 2009 Formula 1 champion, and Giancarlo Fisichella.
It was in 1995 that Sophie won her greatest title on the tracks. In Parma, Italy, after completing 25 laps in 19min34s053, she won the Andrea Margutti Trophy, placing herself in a select list of only five women who have won an international senior karting title – and in this championship, she won against Jarno Trulli, an Italian who reached F1.
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From then on, Kumpen made the jump to touring cars in the mid-1990s, already in her 20s. However, she met Jos Verstappen, whom she married in 1996 and a year later, in 1997, had Max Verstappen and thus chose to leave the tracks to take care of her firstborn – Sophie and Jos separated in 2008.
Christian Horner, former Red Bull team principal, once praised the competitor saying she “was very good and top-10 in the world,” while Button commented that she was “fantastic.”
Some years later, in 2013, Sophie made a brief return to the tracks by competing in the Formido Swift Cup. It happened that at the Zandvoort stage, venue of the Belgian GP of Formula 1, she suffered a severe accident and broke a vertebra, ending her career.
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See this photo on InstagramA post shared by ▪️SOPHIE▪️ (@sophiekumpen)
