Jos Verstappen reacts: 'If Horner wants to play that game, he can have it'

The chequered flag had only just waved for the Sprint Qualifying session in Spielberg, Austria, when Jos Verstappen was already leaving Red Bull Racing's garage. Back there, the former F1 driver had watched as his son, Max, be the best again. But apparently Verstappen Sr. did not feel like joining the party of pole for Saturday's sprint race for long.

On this Friday - yet again - there had been an incident between him and Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principal. This time it led to Jos Verstappen no longer wanting to take part in Sunday's Legends Parade. Verstappen did not want to delve too deeply into the situation as he walked.

"You know, I think it's a bit pathetic that he's behind it to not have me in that car," Jos Verstappen told GPblog. "So I'm like, 'I'm not doing it, who cares?' It's for the fans, it should be good. But he's so childish to play that game. Well, if he wants to play that game, he can have it."

Jos praises his son

Jos's reaction to his son's performance was much more upbeat. The latter put his RB20 on pole for the sprint race. Unlike in past races, Red Bull's car was fine, yet Jos Verstappen said, "For me, it's always Max [who made the difference]. It all has to be right. The car has to be good; otherwise, you don't do it. And the driver has to be good, too."

Who was indeed good in Austria. In a nerve-wracking end, Verstappen delivered when he had to: in the closing stages of SQ3, on the only lap he drove. "Max remains Max. You know, he knows what to do. He is incredibly strong in everything he does. And he knows how the game works. You can rely on that."

Much to the delight of the many thousands of Austrian as well as Dutch fans in the stands. When Verstappen went to first place, a deafening cheer went up. "Yes I heard it. And look, the first two in the championship are next to each other again. That's what people want to see. It's very close together. It's going to be fun!" predicted Jos Verstappen.