- Jos wants Max to try out rallying.
- He jokingly compares the sport to his GT3 endeavours.
- Max worries about the trees and doesn’t want to take the risk.
Max Verstappen had earlier made it clear that rallying is not his cup of tea, but his father Jos wants him to give the sport a chance. He compared the sport with Verstappen’s GT3 endeavours, joking that the latter is less dangerous. He acknowledges his concerns about the trees, but believes that he should try it once and then form an opinion about it.
Jos Verstappen competed in Formula 1 and, after retirement, continued to explore other racing series. He also invested major time in managing and coaching his son, Max, during the early stages of his career. He was extremely hard on him since the beginning of his racing career, constantly pushing him to improve and building the resilience required to be at the top of the sport.
The former F1 driver began his rallying career in 2022, participating independently at the Ypres Rally. Since 2025, he has also been competing in the European Rally Championship. Max is immensely proud of his father’s current career, especially as he continues competing against a younger generation; even for Max himself, he admits it’s hard to beat him in this sport.
Jos Verstappen summons Max for a new sports challenge
In a conversation with Formula E magazine, Jos Verstappen invited the four-time World champion to give a try at rallying, which he believes could change his perception towards the sport, following his consistent worries about trees.
He said jokingly, “No, (compared to) driving a GT3 on the Nurburgring is, let’s say, it’s harmless. He just has to come and do it sometime. So here it is, Max, please. Then, he’ll talk about it differently. He always talks about the trees and so on, but at a certain point, you don’t see those trees anymore.”
Jos mentioned that yes, of course, the trees are present, and one has to take them into consideration, but they shouldn’t be the focus. Only knowing about their presence is more than enough in the sport, he claims.
Verstappen drew a comparison between Formula 1 and rallying
Verstappen doesn’t want to follow in his dad’s footsteps in rallying, and there’s a good reason behind it. While he admires his dad’s talent in rallying, he’s way too worried about the trees, which he believes pose a risk to his competitive spirit.
In the Up to Speed podcast, he said, “I think it’s really cool, but I just think about if I make a mistake and I hit that tree, I mean the tree is not moving. That, for me, is my limit. That, for me, is something that I don’t want to do. It’s just too high of a risk.”
While he acknowledged that it might sound crazy, he gave an example that explained his concerns the best. He compared rallying to Formula 1, revealing that when a car hits a barrier in the latter sport, the massive impact is curbed due to the well-designed barriers. However, he doesn’t feel the same about rallying. He does consider it to be a cool sport. “It’s a bit different in my head, at least. It’s just a risk that I’m not willing to take,” he added.
