Max Verstappen’s Father Responds to Ferrari F1 Rivalry With Nuanced Jab at Mercedes & Lewis Hamilton

The 2022 season is still in the early stages. So, the rivalry between Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Ferarri’s Charles Leclerc will keep growing as the season continues. However, many fans and experts, including Max’s father, Jos Verstappen, believe it won’t be as intense as it was last season with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.

Last season, it was a heated battle between both the F1 drivers. Lewis and Max both fought tooth and nail. Even their team principals, Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, had a heated battle throughout the 2021 season. But that won’t be the case this season because of Mercedes‘s struggling form.

Talking about Red Bull’s fight with Ferrari this year, Jos Verstappen said, “I’m sure it won’t be like last season. At this level, things are now much more relaxed with Ferrari.”

If we talk about off-track battles, the Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, has already questioned the expenses of Red Bull. The Ferrari boss believes the Milton Keynes base is quickly going through their development budget for the season.

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Despite the allegations, Jos Verstappen thinks the rivalry with the Prancing Horses is very calm, and both teams have respect for each other. He said, “There’s more respect than there was last year. It’s also great that there aren’t huge differences between the different engines, which means we’re no longer in the face of an engine formula.”

Red Bull’s unreliability against Ferrari upgrades worry Max Verstappen’s father

Red Bull and Ferrari are undoubtedly the two best teams this season. They have dominated in the last five races. However, the Austrian F1 team has showcased a better pace in the last two races.

So, Max Verstappen’s father fears that if the Italian constructor comes up with proper upgrades for the Spanish GP, they will have an advantage over the Red Bull. “If Ferrari did their homework and brought in a set of upgrades, I guess they will be faster. And I’m curious to know exactly how much,” Jos shared.

Aside from Ferrari introducing new upgrades for the Barcelona race. The other significant issue for the Austrian F1 team this season is the reliability of the engines. Red Bull have faced three retirements in the last five races, and two were for Max Verstappen. The reigning champion is at P2 chasing Charles Leclerc for the championship title because of those DNFs.

Jos Verstappen said, “Everything seems a little more sensitive this year. It’s not yet 100%. Of course, if you look at the points, Max still suffers from these two retirements.”

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Let’s see how the Red Bull performs against Ferrari on Sunday in Spain. Are you expecting Max Verstappen to win the Spanish GP?