Jos Verstappen: "Hopefully, it stays exciting, but not for too long"

"It was very exciting to see the race. I wasn't present, I was watching on television", says Jos Verstappen in the debrief of F1TV. Max's father himself also drove through the narrow streets several times. "We all know how difficult it is to stay out of the walls. It wasn't easy for me to watch, especially with that onboard footage. But now that he [Max] is now leading the world championship is something amazing to see him doing at the moment."

Jos happy with victory

By Ted Kravitz Verstappen sr. is then asked what really makes it so difficult to be successful in Monaco. "The challenge is to go quick and stay out of the walls but to do that for 78 laps you need to be very concentrated. We've seen drivers make mistakes in the past when they were in first place. That was the worry for me," he admits. "It's important to win in Monaco, also for the team and the chances of winning the World Cup."

Will there also be more pressure on Verstappen now that he has a lead over Hamilton to defend? "I don't think it makes much difference for Max. He comes to the track and does his best to go as fast as he can. I don't think it makes him nervous, he just wants to score maximum points every weekend. It doesn't matter to him if he's leading the world championship then or if he's second or third."

Verstappen sr. not cheering too early

The difference between the two rivals is currently a few points in favour of the Dutchman. Jos is proud, but stresses that the season still has eighteen GPs to go. "It is exciting and also good for Formula 1, the fight between Max and Lewis. I hope they continue to develop the car in the right direction. Max is hugely motivated to do well and wants to win a championship, but it's still a long way to go. Hopefully, it stays exciting, but not for too long," he laughs.