Jos Verstappen has told Red Bull to beware of becoming complacent on the issue of their star man (and his son) – Max Verstappen – currently dominating the sport.
He pointed out that Lewis Hamilton seemed immovable in 2021, having won seven Championships with Mercedes.
However, his son beat Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021, marking a serious change at the top of the Driver’s Standings in the following years.
The Dutchman has dominated this season in particular, currently sitting on 196 points in comparison to Hamilton’s tally of 102.
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Jos implied this was not just due to his son’s skills but the car which he races, saying that Mercedes cannot keep up with Red Bull’s RB19.
Jos went on to say that the same thing could happen to his son if Red Bull does not continue to produce title-winning cars in the future.
He said that Verstappen’s era of domination may be shorter-lived than Hamilton’s glorious reign with the Silver Arrows from 2014-2020 if Red Bull becomes complacent.
Looking back to 2021, Jos told media sources: “Initially we would have been satisfied with winning a GP.”
He continued: “Everything happened quickly, because in recent seasons Max has had a good car and is winning a lot, as Lewis Hamilton had managed to do in previous years.”
Jos emphasised pride in his son’s achievements, with Max recently having equalled the legendary Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 victories.
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As for the Verstappen-Senna comparison, Jos did rein it in, saying: “I’m not making comparisons, I’m not saying they’re on the same level.”
“Max is special and it’s nice as a father to watch his exploits. I’m proud and happy”.
Speaking about his son, Jos commented: “He’s not a guy who cares about numbers or records. He only cares about racing, and he knows he can win for a long time, if he has a car to prove it.”
Lewis Hamilton remains the world record holder for most wins (103), pole positions (103), and podium finishes (194), despite his displacement by Verstappen.