Sophie Kumpen

Last updated

Sophie Kumpen
Born
Marie-Sophie Kumpen

(1975-10-30) 30 October 1975 (age 49)
Hasselt, Belgium
Occupations
  • Racing driver
  • kart racer
  • social worker
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1996;div. 2008)​
Children2, including Max
Parent Robert Kumpen  [ nl ] (father)
Relatives
Nationality Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian
Karting World Championship career
Years active1991–1994
Teams CRG
Starts4
Wins0
Podiums0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish9th in 1991 (FA)
Championship titles
1995 Andrea Margutti Trophy

Marie-Sophie Kumpen (born 30 October 1975) is a Belgian former racing driver and kart racer. She is the former wife of Dutch Formula One driver Jos Verstappen, and mother to four-time World Drivers' Champion Max Verstappen.

Contents

Born and raised in Hasselt, Kumpen is the daughter of Robert Kumpen, former chairman of KRC Genk, and the cousin of racing driver Anthony. Kumpen began her career in kart racing, competing at four Karting World Championships and winning the prestigious Andrea Margutti Trophy in 1995, becoming the third woman in history to win a major international karting title after Susanna Raganelli and Cathy Muller. She married Jos Verstappen the following year and retired from racing upon the birth of her son Max in September 1997. Kumpen returned to racing in 2013, competing in the Formido Swift Cup in the Netherlands before suffering a career-ending injury at Zandvoort.

Since retiring from motor racing, Kumpen has taken up a career as a social worker at the OCMW in Maaseik.

Early life

Marie-Sophie Kumpen was born on 30 October 1975 in Hasselt, Belgium. She is the daughter of Robert Kumpen  [ nl ], former chairman of association football club KRC Genk. [1] Her uncle, Paul Kumpen, and his son, Anthony, were both rally and racing drivers, respectively. Paul is the former co-owner of Ridley Bikes and founder of the eponymous PK Carsport, [2] and Anthony is a two-time champion of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. [3]

Career

Karting

Influenced by her family, Kumpen started kart racing aged 11. [4] She had a successful career in karting, racing in international competition against future Formula One drivers such as Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld, Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella, among others. Kumpen competed in four editions of the Karting World Championship from 1991 to 1994, finishing ninth in the Formula A class in the former. [5] She was acclaimed internationally as a top competitor in karting, known for her smooth driving style and ability to set consistent lap times. [6] [7]

Kumpen achieved her only major victory at the Andrea Margutti Trophy in 1995 with CRG, [8] [9] making her one of four women in history to win a major international karting title alongside Susanna Raganelli, [a] Cathy Muller, [b] and Beitske Visser. [c] Former McLaren driver David Coulthard and Jordan Grand Prix owner Eddie Jordan both remarked that Kumpen had the potential to make it into Formula One. [7] Red Bull team principal and former racing driver Christian Horner, who raced against Kumpen in karts, described her as being "very good" and "top 10 in the world", whilst Button described her as "fantastic". [13] [14]

Touring car racing

Kumpen progressed to touring car racing in the mid-1990s, but her career was cut short following her marriage to Jos Verstappen in 1996, as well as a crash she suffered whilst racing an Opel Lotus. [15]

In 2013, Kumpen returned for a short time as a driver in the Formido Swift Cup. During the final races at Circuit Zandvoort, home of the Dutch Grand Prix, she crashed and broke a vertebra, ending her racing career aged 37. [7]

Personal life

Kumpen married Formula One driver Jos Verstappen in 1996, [16] retiring from racing that year to focus on raising their children and assisting her husband in his career as a racing driver. [17]  Both their children, Max and Victoria, also took up kart racing, with the former eventually joining Kumpen's CRG team and winning a record three FIA Karting Championships in a single season. Max went on to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2021, becoming the first Dutch driver to win the title. [18] [19]

Kumpen and Verstappen separated in 2008. In December that year, Verstappen appeared in court in Tongeren, charged with assaulting Kumpen. [20] He was found not guilty of assault, but guilty of threatening Kumpen in text messages and of violating a previously issued restraining order. Verstappen was fined and sentenced to three months probation. [21] Throughout their marriage, Kumpen and Verstappen had been close personal friends with Michael Schumacher and Corinna Betsch. [15]

After her sporting career, Kumpen started working as a social worker at the OCMW in Maaseik. [22] She has regularly attended Formula One Grands Prix to watch her son Max, but has admitted his racing career has worried her due to past incidents that ended her career. Kumpen is fluent in six languages: Flemish, Dutch, German, English, French and Italian, the latter she learned whilst racing for CRG. [15]

In November 2022, Kumpen made headlines for accusing Red Bull Racing driver, and Max's teammate, Sergio Pérez of cheating on his wife via Twitter. [23] The claims from Kumpen came after a controversial end to the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix, where Max disobeyed team orders from Gianpiero Lambiase instructing him to let Pérez past for sixth position. She deleted the post moments later. [24]

Karting record

Karting career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamPosition
1991 CIK-FIA World Championship – FA GKS Lemmens Power9th
1992 CIK-FIA World Championship – FK 26th
1993 CIK-FIA World Championship – FSA 29th
1994 CIK-FIA World Championship – FSA CRG 17th
1995 Andrea Margutti Trophy – FA CRG 1st
Sources: [25]

Notes

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References

  1. ↑ "Gewezen voorzitter Robert Kumpen overleden". KRC Genk (in Dutch). 8 June 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  2. ↑ "Geschiedenis van PK Carsport". PK Carsport (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Maulana, Reza (5 October 2024). "Anthony Kumpen Makes Long-Awaited EuroNASCAR Return at 2024 Zolder Finale". World of EuroNASCAR. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Flier, Marlous (25 March 2017). "Moeder Sophie: "Max loslaten gaf me veel verdriet"". Limburger (in Dutch).
  5. ↑ "CIK-FIA Formula A (100cc) Karting World Championship" (PDF). Motorsport Top 20.
  6. ↑ Spurgeon, Brad (16 September 2016). ""Why aren't there any women? Elite racing remains men-only, even with eased physical demands."". International New York Times– via GALE ACADEMIC ONEFILE.
  7. 1 2 3 "Sophie Kumpen". racingnews365.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "THE HALL OF FAME OF THE ANDREA MARGUTTI TROPHY IS GETTING RICHER AND RICHER". trofeomargutti.com. 6 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Calvo, Eduardo da Motta (17 October 2019). "Poisoned bolides from the Central Plateau: history of motorsport and karting in the DF (1960-1985)". University of Brasilia - Central Library: 82 – via Google Scholar.
  10. ↑ Dove, Alan (9 September 2024). "Susanna Raganelli's Epic World Championship Triumph That Led to Horrific Cries for the Banning of "Women Drivers from Karting"". The Motorsport Saga by Alan Dove. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Gascoigne, Roger (30 September 2024). "Podcast: Cathy Muller on her landmark F3 win and defying disbelief". Formula Scout. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Wood, Ida (19 July 2019). "Beitske Visser: The ex-Red Bull junior aiming for the W Series title". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "Max Verstappen on Lewis Hamilton, living on the edge and dating a driver's daughter". The Times. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  14. ↑ Andrews, Connor (27 November 2024). "Max Verstappen's mum beat F1 race winners in stellar junior career and Christian Horner says she was 'top ten in the world'". Talksport . News Broadcasting . Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 "F1 Lifestyle - Sophie Verstappen". Formula 1 Magazine. Formula 1. September 2001.
  16. ↑ Bhattacharjee, Somin (20 April 2023). "Reason Behind Jos Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen's Ugly Divorce". The Sports Rush. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  17. ↑ Kaligis, Bas (5 October 2013). "Sophie Kumpen leven na Jos Verstappen: "Hij reed F1, en het was teveel geweest als ik..."". racexpress.nl.
  18. ↑ van den Heuvel, Mark (9 December 2015). "Mama's invloed op Max Verstappen". hpdetijd.nl.
  19. ↑ van den Elshout, Geoffrey (23 May 2016). "Max Verstappen zit in het miljoenenwereldje van de F1, zijn moeder werkt bij het OCMW". F1 Journal. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017.
  20. ↑ "Verstappen in court on assault charge". autosport.com. 9 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
  21. ↑ "Jos Verstappen avoids jail over wife assault". duemotori.com. 7 January 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ↑ "Sophie Kumpen follows son 'live', GP Pitts". Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  23. ↑ Lemoncelli, Jenna (16 November 2022). "Max Verstappen's mom accuses Sergio Perez of cheating on his wife after dramatic weekend". New York Post. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  24. ↑ Sunderland, Tom (16 November 2022). "Max Verstappen's mum deletes post accusing Sergio Perez of cheating on his wife". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  25. ↑ "Driver Database". driverdb.com. 20 June 2024.
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