Jos Verstappen Frees Himself From Max Verstappen as Pursuit of True Passion Leads Him to Alternate Career

Most of us believe that F1 drivers are supernatural beings that go 200+ Miles an Hour around a track and yet come out unscathed most of the time. While what they do is nothing less than supernatural, at the end of the day, they’re humans only. As ruthless as they might seem to be on track, they need nurturing to make them what they are. Now that Max Verstappen is a 3X champion, Jos Verstappen reveals how he has let his son go, to free himself and follow his own passion.

Max Verstappen has always been vocal about the fact that he has become the driver he is because of his father. Being a former F1 driver, Jos Verstappen knew what it took to become a champion in F1 and trained his son in a way that might’ve seemed to be a little harsh, but is reaping the results in the form of Max Verstappen dominating the entire season. While the Dutchman’s talent was visible since the start of this career, he wasn’t always as dominating and clinical as he is now.

Max Verstappen’s dad was almost present at every race during the initial years of the 3X champ’s career. However, his paddock appearances have become less frequent in the last couple of years. Is it because there’s a crack between the dad and the son? No, not really. Jos Verstappen decided that his son was operating at such a high level that he didn’t need his father’s guidance anymore. And while Jos loves seeing his son on track, it was time for him to get some track action himself. 

According to Verstappen.com, Jos Verstappen when asked about missing being on track with Max on race days said, “Believe me, I felt that adrenaline with Max too. But he’s reached a phase where I no longer have to do anything, and it’s time I start doing fun things for myself. And I really like doing this, because I do need that adrenaline. You can’t compare the feeling of racing in a car yourself and the feeling of watching a race. It’s very different. Not more exciting, because watching Max is just as exciting as racing myself.”

Read More: “Max Verstappen Doesn’t Need Him”: F1 Winner Questions Helmut Marko’s Redundant Red Bull Role

He further added, “And I’d rather have Max win, than myself. But it would of course be best if the two go together: Max wins in a Formula 1 car, and I win in a rally car. That’s our goal every time.” Jos Verstappen finally felt the itch to go racing after being absent from it for some years and decided rallying was the choice of adrenaline. But what about the father and son racing together in a series and winning together?

Jos Verstappen “too old” to race with Max Verstappen 

Toto Wolff, earlier this year, advised that Haas would not have treated Mick Schumacher the way they did if Michael was still around the paddock. Imagine Michael and Mick Schumacher pairing up for the Race of Champions or WEC. While this situation will never come to life, Jos Verstappen surely can race with his son. It will be an amazing sight, right? Yes, it will be but Jos Verstappen has denied the possibility of the same by advising how his son wouldn’t like to be paired up with a driver that isn’t as fast as him. 

Jos Verstappen, when asked about the possibility of racing with Max, told PlanetF1, “I’m too old for that! [The level Max] puts in, it’s something crazy. That’s why I’m feeling too old to do that. I know him. I know how I was when I was that young. If he races and competes in different categories, he wants to win as well. To drive it as an old man who’s maybe one to 1.5 seconds too slow. He doesn’t like that. And I wouldn’t like that. [He wouldn’t be] angry, but he’d say ‘Come on, Dad!’ I know that it’s like that, and I know he doesn’t like it and I don’t like it. So better not to do it.”

Watch this Story: “Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World”: Max Verstappen’s Girlfriend Reveals the Real Reason Behind Snubbing Pharrell Williams’ Historic Night