Jos on second championship Max: 'Goose bumps'

Published on 09 October 2022 by Kees-Jan Koster

Jos Verstappen watched from home how his son Max became world champion for the second time in a row. Asked if he is proud of his son, he answers: “I am always proud of him. Not only for this race, but always.” Father Verstappen was not in Japan, but that does not make him any less joyful: “I was away from home for three weeks. In Singapore I thought ‘I am going home’. I think I needed it. My wife and children are at home, and that is the reason I was not in Japan. But I do not have to be there to celebrate and be happy. Just that it happens. He is doing it all by himself now, so I can pick the races to go to. Of course, at home you see as much as when you are at the circuit.”

Jos experienced the race with unbelief, he says: “I did not know exactly what was happening. I was in contact with the team and Raymond. And finally came the confirmation that he did win the championship.” Jos explains that a second title feels different than the first: “The emotion is different than last year. Last year a lot of emotion came out. Now we saw it coming. You know it was going to happen. The only question was when it was going to happen. And yes, it happened today!”

Jos is also proud of the performance of his son in terms of the race: “Of course, he drove a very strong race, when you consider that he was 26 seconds ahead of the number two in a 38-minute race. That really is Max’ specialty: in the rain, feeling where the grip is. There is always more risk when it is raining. He had that since he was little, having something special in the rain. He knows how to do it. You saw that in the race. He was immediately quick. Leclerc started to hunt for him, maybe driving too fast causing more tyre wear. But Max continued to set steady lap times. And that is Max, he knows what he is doing. And that makes him so good.”

Reflecting on this second title, Jos says: “Well, your son wins a Formula 1 world championship... You must make the right decisions. You must be with the right team; you need to have the right people around you. Together with Raymond, Max and I have often discussed what direction to go. But when this happens for the second time, that gives goose bumps.” Max called Jos after the race: “I told him he is the very best. But I tell him that every weekend”, says Jos smiling.

Jos does not think Max is already thinking about next year: “Not yet. We must finish this season first. Do not forget that it was again a tough year. There were a lot of races, and next year there will be even more. I know Max is not the biggest fan of doing 24 races. I think that after this season he needs a well-deserved break.”

Jos will accompany his son in the United States: “I think we will have a little party there.”