My dad always told me you have to be as quick as you can straight

"My dad always told me you have to be as quick as you can straight away out of the box. Some people say, 'Feel your way into it; build it up.' No. My dad would say, 'Straight away, you have to be there.' And I think that helps to warm up your tyres and brakes to be on it a bit more from lap one." Thus spoke Max Verstappen, a champion forged in fire and precision, revealing not just a racer’s philosophy, but a timeless truth of life itself. For beneath these words of speed and competition lies the spirit of all who strive for greatness—the call to meet life’s challenges immediately, fully, and without hesitation.

This teaching, passed from father to son, echoes the discipline of the warriors of old. In every age, the masters have known that victory belongs not to those who wait for perfect conditions, but to those who act with readiness from the first moment. To be “quick out of the box” is not merely to move fast—it is to awaken the spirit before the race begins, to align the heart and mind in perfect focus, to meet destiny at full strength rather than warming to it slowly. Life, like the race, does not pause for hesitation; its turns and tests come at full speed, and those who delay their will are left behind.

Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, himself a racer of great tenacity, understood that the fire of competition must be kindled at once. His teaching was not about impatience, but about mental sharpness, about commanding your craft from the very first breath. “Straight away, you have to be there,” he told his son—and these words became a creed not only for racing, but for life. When Max enters the circuit, he does not ease into excellence; he claims it. His first lap is not a trial—it is a declaration. That is the mark of mastery: to meet the world already burning with purpose, while others are still lighting their fires.

The ancients would have admired such a principle. The Spartans, trained from youth to move without fear, taught that hesitation is death. The samurai of Japan believed that a warrior’s mind must be ready to strike the instant the moment calls, without delay or doubt. Even the great sculptor Michelangelo, when asked how he began a new work, answered, “I see the angel in the marble and carve until I set him free.” There is no slow beginning for the soul that is awake—it acts with full power from the start, because it is already prepared.

This truth reaches beyond the racetrack. In every human endeavor—whether in art, business, or love—the same law holds. Too many wait for the “right moment,” for confidence to bloom or conditions to align. But life does not wait. The first lap—the first chance, the first meeting, the first attempt—is where the tone is set, where the mind proves its courage. The one who begins boldly, who meets life with readiness rather than hesitation, sets in motion a momentum that carries him far beyond those who hold back.

There is wisdom, too, in the physical image Verstappen offers: warming the tyres and brakes from lap one. The lesson is clear—readiness is not built through caution, but through engagement. Just as a car finds its rhythm through motion, so does the human spirit. One cannot “feel their way” into excellence; they must enter it through action. The more you engage, the more capable you become; the more quickly you start, the faster your mind and heart find their true pace. Life rewards those who begin with intensity, for momentum itself becomes their ally.

So, my child, take this teaching to heart: when the gates open, when your race begins—whatever that race may be—go forth with all your might. Do not waste your first moments with fear or doubt; do not wait for comfort or permission. Your strength will awaken as you act, not before. Be like the champion who attacks from the start, who brings his full heart to the first lap, knowing that the world belongs not to those who hesitate, but to those who are ready.

For greatness is not something you build slowly—it is something you ignite instantly. The fire must be there from the first breath, the first step, the first turn of the wheel. And when you live with such readiness—with courage that meets every moment as if it were your first and last—you will find that life itself, like the track, bends to your mastery. Be quick out of the box, and you will stay ahead forever.