“Deserved a Better Father”: Jos’ Tough Love With Max Verstappen Questioned as Rare Footage Makes Fans Fall in Love With “Papa Horner”

What do you do when your son rallies from P15 to P2 on a high-speed street circuit? You express your disappointment. At least that is the Jos Verstappen way. And to add to the senior Verstappen’s miseries, his son’s teammate, Sergio Perez, took the win. A clip from the post-race parc ferme celebrations from Jeddah has been making the rounds on Twitter, where the unease between the father-son duo is visibly evident. On the other hand, the Red Bull TP, Christian Horner, has been applauded as he showered Max Verstappen with the love the latter has always deserved.

It is common knowledge how ruthless Jos has always been in bringing up Max. Incidents from the Dutchman’s karting days seem like the perfect parallels to what we witnessed on Sunday. At 12, when Max crashed into his rival trying to overtake him, his father got so angry that he was subjected to a stern, silent treatment for days. And at 14, when the senior left his son at a gas station because the latter made a karting mistake. Tough love it has been.

Probably the culmination of childhood trauma or just the equation between the two has now manifested itself into a situation where it is very evident to the onlookers. A mega drive by the reigning double-world champion saw him zoom across the field to gain 13 positions. Even the rivals appreciated the sheer speed of the car combined with the synergy of Max’s driving skills. However, the father probably wanted more.

Fans cheer the overwhelming moment between Christian Horner and Max Verstappen

The clip which has been slowed down so that the fans can relish every frame of happiness saw an unusual sight. Jos, who didn’t even congratulate Sergio Perez for taking his fifth career win, wasn’t moved when his son came to celebrate with the Milton Keynes tribe. Moreover, in a never seen moment, Max also didn’t break a sweat and moved on to celebrate with Christian Horner and Adrian Newey standing nearby. The wide smile and happiness of a Red Bull 1-2 made many declare Horner as a well-suited person to father the Milton Keynes champion. Have a look at how F1 fans on Twitter reacted to it:

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What are your thoughts on the supposed tension between the Verstappens? Let us know in the comments below.