Verstappen worried about Verstappen: 'He doesn't have to win'

Jos Verstappen has found a new passion. The former F1 driver and of course father of Max is currently active in rallying. This is a sport not entirely without danger.

In Formula 1, safety has increased considerably, especially since Jos Verstappen's time in the sport. In rallying, casualties still occur regularly. After all, sliding down a ditch is easy. In Belgium - where Verstappen senior is active - the roads are not always great either.

Watch out

From a distance, Max follows his father's races. Safety in particular is an important issue for the Formula One world champion. "I always tell him to watch out," Verstappen told The Limburger. "He always says the same to me, by the way. Look, he always wants to do it as well as possible with all the risks involved. I then say: you don't have to do it anymore. You don't have to win. You can also just have fun if you sometimes take 1 per cent less risk."

Verstappen junior also sees that a lot of accidents happen in rallying. "You write off at least one car a year. The races he does drive are a bit safer than some races in the world championship, but still... I always follow him via live timing and then I'm happy every time he comes through, yes. Relieved too? Still a bit," admitted Max Verstappen.

Recently, two spectators died at a race in which Jos Verstappen was also active. The pair were standing in a spot where no one should really be. They were hit by a rally car that had run off the road.