Verstappen Sr steps back from managing Max
Jos Verstappen says he is stepping back from managing his son Max now that the Red Bull driver is "where he should be".
Max made his Formula 1 debut last year with Toro Rosso at the age of 17 and impressed right away with his speed.
The Dutchman was moved up to Red Bull's leading team from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and for the remainder of the season, as Daniil Kvyat was sent to Toro Rosso in his place.
His father Jos says that now Max is in a top team, it is the right moment for him to take a step back and let his son and Red Bull handle his career.
"I'm allowed to go in the garage, that's no problem, but I think in this stage of his career it's better to take another step back because he is now where he needs to be and it's about Max and not about his dad," Verstappen said when asked by Motorsport.com.
"I did my job until now and he is in a top team now, where he should be, and it's fine.
"I also stopped a column with a newspaper because I don't want to be in the front now. I want to be in the back. Now it's up to Helmut [Marko], up to Christian [Horner], up to Max, to say what they want to say, and not up to me."
Jos said the decision to step back has been his.
Verstappen Jr qualified in fourth place for his first grand prix with Red Bull in Spain, and Jos conceded he was delighted with his son's performance.
"I think it's not up to me to say something about it, because it's more down to Max, of course," Jos added.
"I'm here as a father. The only thing I want to say is I'm very happy with what he has done today."
Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov
Share Or Save This Story
Alpine becomes Pramac's main partner in MotoGP
Liberty Media's $4bn MotoGP deal facing EU probe
Ocon wants answers to understand pace slump against Alpine team-mate
Can Red Bull now fight for wins everywhere? "It's difficult to be on par with Mercedes consistently"
Why the Sepang win has a deeper meaning for Max Verstappen and Red Bull
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
Red Bull is overcoming ADUO restrictions but still calls on tweaks for F1 2027
Charles Leclerc: Ferrari must learn from Red Bull to improve F1 race strategy
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
Sebastien Ogier’s 2027 WRC future is undecided, but he won’t be at Monte Carlo
Davide Tardozzi on Ducati's Indonesian GP chances: 'Losing 10 or 12 points would not be bad'
Mercedes confirms George Russell's grid penalty for F1 Singapore GP
Nike could return to Formula 1 for first time since Michael Schumacher era
Three kings: F1's generational stars shone at Sepang
How F1 let a golden opportunity slip at Sepang
How the Bahrain GP in Malaysia exposed Red Bull’s hidden resurgence
You Ask The Questions: Emerson Fittipaldi
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments