Jos Verstappen aims dig at Red Bull when asked if Max Verstappen could retire from F1

Follow us on Google Discover

Jos Verstappen feels people are now realising how “special” Max Verstappen is, as his son ensured F1 avoided a dull 2025 title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The fight for the F1 drivers’ championship will go down to the final round of the season with three people still in the mix for the first time since 2010 this year. McLaren star Norris heads the standings with 408 points thus far, in front of Max Verstappen on 396 and Piastri on 392.

Norris had his first chance to win the 2025 drivers’ title last time out at the Qatar Grand Prix. But McLaren’s strategy blunder under the safety car in Qatar ensured they gave what looked set to be Piastri’s first victory in eight races to Verstappen, while Norris could only rescue P4.

Jos Verstappen thinks rival F1 teams ‘don’t take Red Bull into account’, only Max Verstappen

Jos Verstappen thinks the title 2025 fight would have been “duller” if his son had not fought back from a 104-point deficit to Piastri atop the standings following the Australian’s last win. Piastri also led Norris by 34 points after he won August’s Dutch Grand Prix in round 15 of 24.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

He even claims rival F1 teams essentially overlook Red Bull and only focus on the threat that Max Verstappen poses. So, the former Benetton driver feels only F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali would be able to predict the full potential impact of if his son were to simply quit Formula 1.

“Just ask Stefano, haha,” Jos Verstappen has told Formule1.nl: “I don’t know. People are now realising how special Max is.

“Thanks in part to him, Formula 1 has gained a bit more life this season. Because without Max, the championship would be a bit duller.

“Now, it has something extra, because Max is in it. You see that with other teams, too. They don’t take Red Bull into account, they take Max into account.”

Jos Verstappen expects Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to be nervous about losing the drivers’ title

Verstappen’s Qatar GP victory last Sunday also saw him move above Piastri in the F1 drivers’ standings for the first time since April. Piastri’s Bahrain Grand Prix win in round 4 edged him above Verstappen for the first time in 2025, but the Dutchman has now moved back ahead.

READ MORE: Every F1 record that Lewis Hamilton held that Max Verstappen broke in 2024

Who is going to win the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Norris led Verstappen by only one point following the latter’s victory in the Japanese Grand Prix in round three for the last time that they occupied the top two positions in the drivers’ standings. Yet Verstappen only won in one of the 12 Grands Prix that immediately followed.

But from the eight Grands Prix since that 12-round run, Verstappen secured five wins up to and including last week’s victory at the Lusail International Circuit. So, Jos Verstappen now expects Norris and Piastri to be nervous about Max Verstappen denying them the 2025 title.

Jos added: “I can imagine there’s some nervousness at McLaren, because this might be both drivers’ only chance at a world title. You never know if you’ll find yourself in that position again, right?

“But it’s like Max says, you either become the champion or you don’t. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll try again next year.”