Jos Verstappen is sounding the alarm: what if his son Max Verstappen really loses motivation? Because the criticism of the current Formula 1 is justified
Father racing driver Jos Verstappen is worried about his son Max Verstappen and his future in Formula 1. In an interview with de Telegraaf, he said: “To be honest, I’m afraid that Max will lose his motivation. Driving a Formula 1 car used to be the greatest thing ever for him, but at the moment I’m pretty pessimistic about that.”
The reason for this is the new Formula 1 regulations, which force drivers to manage the energy available to them instead of constantly driving at the limit. Max Verstappen has repeatedly criticized “the new Formula 1”.
Why Jos Verstappen thinks like Max Verstappen
Now his father Jos Verstappen said: “You can tell very quickly that he doesn’t enjoy driving these cars at all. And I can completely understand his frustration.”
“A driver should be rewarded for his courage and skill. But now it’s the case that you’re even slower over a lap if you attack a corner to the maximum. That takes away the whole feeling of racing.”
The new Formula 1: Is it just “chaos”?
Jos Verstappen is also annoyed by the “yo-yo racing” of the first laps of the race: Drivers swap positions back and forth seemingly at random. The former Formula 1 driver is annoyed by “overtaking maneuvers halfway down the straight because the other driver has no energy left. Sorry, but that has nothing to do with overtaking,” said Jos Verstappen.
Max Verstappen thinks similarly – and has already indicated several times that he might reconsider his continued involvement in Formula 1 if the rules do not change drastically. Jos Verstappen said: “I wish it wasn’t like that, but with a view to his future, I definitely see it as a problem.”
Max Verstappen is currently still under contract with Red Bull until 2028. However, the current drive format is likely to remain in place until at least 2029.
Jos Verstappen: Max simply says what he thinks
Is that the reason why Max Verstappen is so vehemently opposed to the new rules? “You have to remember that he simply answers the questions he is asked honestly,” said Jos Verstappen.
“You should be happy that Max is so direct. Or do we only want yes-men in this sport? Or drivers who say everything is great, even though they don’t mean it?”
“Above all, I’m glad that Max just says what he thinks. He’s my son, but I think we should appreciate that there are still drivers like him around.”
How Max reacts to Jos Verstappen’s statements
When asked about his father’s statements, Max Verstappen assured: “I always give my all when I’m in the car. But in the current situation, I’m not enjoying it. And others feel the same. When you spend so much time away from home for 22 races, you have to do something that gives you real pleasure.“
According to Verstappen, every top performance ”starts with fun. If that’s missing, you can’t get the best out of yourself,” says the Formula 1 driver.
So how does Verstappen motivate himself when the fun isn’t there at the moment? “I try to keep it interesting with other things. But at some point, even that doesn’t work anymore,” said Verstappen. “So let’s see what happens next.”
