The world of Formula 1 never stands still, but every now and then there comes a moment when the sport comes to a standstill from pure amazement. Last week, during an intimate press conference after the Singapore Grand Prix, Max Verstappen detonated a bomb that no one could have seen coming. The four-time world champion, who has seemed to dominate the competition for years with an almost otherworldly precision, revealed a deeply buried secret from his youth: a lesson he had learned from none other than Michael Schumacher, the legendary seven-time champion. “I learned this from Schumacher,” Verstappen said with a modest smile, as the journalists in the room lowered their notepads. It was not about a technical trick or a revolutionary driving style, but about a shift in mentality that helped him to ruthlessly leave all his opponents – from Lewis Hamilton to Lando Norris – behind. And to top it off, young British talent Oliver Bearman, only 20 years old and already a sensation in the paddock, exclaimed: “He’s the best!” A statement that made the F1 world buzz with excitement and discussion.

Let’s go back in time, because to understand this secret, we have to delve into the roots of Verstappen’s career. Max grew up in a family steeped in motorsport. His father, Jos Verstappen, was a hard racer who rode alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1994. That season was iconic: Schumacher won his first world title, while Jos struggled with the German’s shadow. “Michael was extremely fast, extremely talented,” Jos recently recalled in an interview with F1-Insider. “I wanted to go as fast as him, but I made mistakes. I banged my head against the wall in frustration. That’s what I always told Max: don’t make that mistake.” But it went deeper than that. Jos and Michael were more than teammates; they were friends. They went karting together with their sons, Max and Mick. On sunny afternoons in Kerpen, the cradle of Schumacher’s success, the boys raced around the tracks while the fathers watched and shared stories.

It was during those karting sessions that the seed was planted. Schumacher, the man who rebuilt Ferrari from the ashes and won five titles in a row between 2000 and 2004, saw something in the little Max. “Max has a lot in common with Michael: uncompromising on the court, but sweet, sensitive and caring as a private person,” Jos said recently. Schumacher didn’t give Max any direct instructions – he was already a child star, after all – but the boy absorbed everything. The lesson? It was about the ‘second punch’, as Damon Hill recently described it in a column for Crash.net. Schumacher was a master of aggression, but not the blind variety. He pushed rivals to the limit, but always with a plan B. “If the first attack fails, you strike the second,” Hill explained, referring to Schumacher’s epic duels in the 1990s. Jos translated that to Max: “Push them onto the grass, but be smarter. Let them think they are winning, and then you will overtake them.” That mentality – a mix of ruthlessness and strategic patience – became Verstappen’s weapon.

Fast-forward to today, and you see it everywhere. In 2025, Verstappen will have his fourth title, but this season it was not a walkover. With the rise of McLaren and the reborn Ferrari, he had to put Schumacher’s lesson into practice. Take the Austrian GP: Lando Norris pushed him off the track in a fierce battle for the title. Verstappen responded not with anger, but with a second punch – a brilliant overtaking maneuver on the next lap that stunned Norris. Or think of his off-track adventures, such as his recent stunt at the Nürburgring. Verstappen, who obtained a license for the infamous Nordschleife, raced a Porsche GT4 and finished on the podium in a GT3 race with a Ferrari 296. “He just rolls up and wins,” said one defeated competitor. That versatility, that pure passion, is straight out of Schumacher’s playbook: the German once tested everything from motorcycles to skiing to keep his reflexes sharp.

And then Oliver Bearman. The 20-year-old Briton, who made his debut at Haas this year and already took points in his first races, is one of the fresh talents that Verstappen admires. But in Baku, after Verstappen’s Nürburgring triumph, the tables turned. “I think he’s probably the best driver we’ve ever seen,” Bearman said in an interview with Scuderia Fans. “The fact that he just shows up there, without preparation, and excels… that’s so impressive. I hope to be at that level one day, where I can ride whatever I want, just out of passion.” Bearman’s words were not flattery; they were a shout of admiration from a generation that grew up with Verstappen as an idol. Bearman, who himself struggles with the pressure of a rookie season – think of his pit lane incident in Spain, where he accidentally delayed Verstappen and immediately apologized – sees Max as not just a champion, but a blueprint. “He’s the best!” he exclaimed, and that echo still resonates.

The revelation has split the F1 world in two. On the one hand, fans welcome the nostalgia: Schumacher, the Kaiser, lives on in the young Dutchman. However, former steward Johnny Herbert warns of the “terrible reputation” such lessons can leave – citing Verstappen’s controversial moves, such as in his title fight with Norris. “That ‘push them onto the grass’ mentality is Schumacher’s legacy, but it makes enemies,” Herbert said in PlanetF1. On the other hand, analysts such as Jolyon Palmer see parallels with Schumacher’s Ferrari era. Verstappen has ‘taken over’ Red Bull, just like Michael at the Scuderia: he attracts talent, dictates strategies and builds a team around him. With rumors of a possible Ferrari move in 2027 – Lewis Hamilton’s last year there – speculation is abuzz. Would Max follow Schumacher’s path and rebuild the Prancing Horse?

What makes this revelation so special is the human side. Verstappen, often depicted as a robot of precision, showed vulnerability. “Michael was like an uncle to me,” he admitted. “Those karting days with Mick, the holidays… it taught me that winning is not just speed, but mindset.” In a sport full of egos and drama, this reminds us of the ties that connect F1. As Bearman and his generation look up to Max, the sport is wondering: what if this is the start of a new Schumacher era? With six races to go in 2025, and Verstappen leading the championship, the answer seems closer than ever. One thing is certain: Schumacher’s lesson shaped not only Max, but the entire sport. And as Bearman said, “He’s the best.” A quote that will go down in history as the ultimate recognition.