As the competition in Formula 1 has fired up in the last few years, the off-track activities have picked up. Team principals and drivers often take digs at each other and each team tries to sway FIA their way to get whatever advantage they can have over their rivals. In light of all of this, Jos Verstappen, father of double world champion Max Verstappen, feels the “political” part of the sport is not appealing.

Apart from being the father of Max Verstappen, Jos is also a former F1 driver. He said goodbye to the sport in 2003 and concentrated on his son’s racing career. Being a hard taskmaster, he taught Max to drive under difficult conditions and take care of his tires. Now that Max has won the championship twice, Jos has resumed his motor racing ambitions.

Jos Verstappen rates rally racing over Formula 1

Jos Verstappen has taken to rallying lately. The 50-year-old recently finished 31st in the Spa Rally under difficult snowy weather. While talking about how much Max Verstappen takes interest in his rallying career, he compared the two sports. While Max tracks his dad’s performances, he does not attend his tryouts.

GP Fans quoted him, saying, “Max keeps in touch, he sends me messages.” [Translated using Google]

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“I do it for me,” Jos added. “This is pure sport, whereas Formula 1 has been very political lately.”

Verstappen Sr also believes he works harder than his son. He told, “When I woke up at six in the morning, I first checked all the stages on the laptop. I work much harder than Max.”

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The Red Bull champion has never shied away from narrating the tough childhood incidents with his father. Jos was always straightforward in telling Max about his shortcomings, even if it came out a little harsh. In an incident from his early years, Max missed out on the championship because of a silly mistake. Jos was angry with him and did not hold back in letting him know about it.

Max Verstappen thinks he deserved the treatment meted out by his dad

As the father-son duo was returning home from the race, Max wanted to talk to his dad. Jos was, however, not interested and told Max he did not want to talk. As young Max kept trying, Jos dropped him at a gas station several miles away from home. He later came back to pick him up, though.

Looking back on the incident in an interview with GQ, Verstappen Jr. said, “I mean, it sounds horrible. Like, it sounds a bit horrible. Like, some people probably cannot deal with that kind of behavior, but I needed it. I was that type of character, probably, who needed this kind of treatment.”

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Fans often do not take too well to the stories Max narrates about his dad in interviews. However, some believe it all made him the champion he is today, so it didn’t really matter. Which side are you on?