Jos Verstappen saw best of Max in Brazil: 'The English had him fired up'
Red Bull Contentpool
F1 News
At the Sao Paulo GP, stakes were high for Max Verstappen. After what was according to the Dutchman a late red flag, he was knocked out in Q2, while Lando Norris could start from pole position. Max's father, Jos Verstappen however managed to keep him calm, and saw his son perform at the highest level.
Jos Verstappen saw Max Verstappen peform at his best
Together with a five-place grid penalty at Interlagos, the Red Bull driver could only start from P17 on the grid, with important points on the line. Still, with a free pit stop thanks to a red flag, Verstappen could get to the front after already chasing down many cars ahead of him.
Verstappen put down a statement victory, that all but confirmed his fourth title. According to Jos Verstappen, this win came at the perfect time. "It happened on the right moment. I must say, you know, after the negativity from basically from England with the press, he was really fired up and then with the qualifying and things like that, he was even more angry," Verstappen Sr. explained to Viaplay.
Jos calmed Max down and could then watch him shine on track. "We sat down just 2 minutes talking, calmed him down, and I said, the chances are there, you know, we just the right moment, a safety car. And, and he did a fantastic job. He didn't put a foot wrong, the fastest lap times at the end of the races, 10 laps behind each other. He was on it and he was pushing like hell."
Verstappen Sr. has seen his son angry before, but it works out well on track. "I've seen it before. I have seen all the races, what he did. But once you make him angry, he's more fired up, but he's also more concentrated. He's more onto it, and that's what happened that day."
The former knows his son wants to pull out all the stops behind it. "I have the same. Sometimes he doesn't need to [score] one point more or less, I think at that moment, it's not that important, but I know how he is, and I know we want the last bit out of it. And, and I know he's very well in control. You see him hardly making mistakes and things like that. So he knows, he knows what he's doing," concluded the father of Max.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sárközi
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