Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and his affiliation with motorsports and Formula 1 is no secret. His father, Jos Verstappen has been an F1 driver for a while and moved on to being Max’s mentor when he started karting.
Jos has been quite vocal about his brutal approach to training his three-time World Champion son. However, given the kind of dominance the young Dutch driver holds over the sport is undeniable, even for Jos.
After his son Max’s historic 50th career victory at the US Grand Prix, Jos Verstappen spoke about the next chapter of his remarkable F1 career. He said, “Max also had to pay attention to his tires and not push too hard. The hard tires didn’t feel quite great either, it was the first time he rode them. So it was just a bit of a tougher race. It was more exciting than expected. I like every victory!“.
During the race at the Circuit of the Americas, the 26-year-old started at the sixth spot but rose in positions eventually winning the race.
Max lit up the weekend 🤩#QatarGP @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/hFMd4ALorx
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
The Dutch sensation seemed set for an easy victory after the controversial Sprint event on Saturday after a disappointing qualifying session. However, the main race was not as smooth as expected due to persistent brake issues that plagued Verstappen throughout the contest. Near the end of the race, these issues gave Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton an edge, although the Briton was disqualified.
Ex-Formula 1 driver condemns Max Verstappen for making a move on Charles Leclerc at COTA
The Sprint race at Austin was problematic for various reasons and even after securing a triumph, the 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve was not pleased with the move made by Max Verstappen at turn 1.
The Dutchman was seen putting up a fight to keep his pole position against Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The Canadian driver thought Verstappen should have been penalized by the FIA rather than being given a pass.
🚨 | 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve Says Verstappen Is Unbeatable And Not Red Bull
“It wrong to say Red Bull is unbeatable, Max is.”
“One has to remember that Mercedes was a second faster than the rest when they dominated.”
“There was a fight at that time only… pic.twitter.com/Uk22vJse6N
— el Formula (@elFormulaOne) October 17, 2023
Villeneuve told F1TV, “Leclerc was pushed off the track, it’s too much. It wasn’t necessary. I don’t understand why the first lap should be evaluated differently, a dirty maneuver or pushing a car to the limits of the track are things that should be investigated.”Â
The reigning World Champion rightfully defended himself by saying that it was the only method to keep his position while Leclerc stated that he had no hard feelings for his rival.
Even if the race is over, Villeneuve’s comments still have an impact. This is due to the FIA’s recent tolerance in reprimanding Verstappen, a position that is being criticized by other F1 bodies. When Hamilton was fined for crossing the track during a live race, fans jumped in to remind how FIA ignored a similar act by Verstappen a while back.