Verstappen’s father Jos ‘enjoyed seeing Max lap Hamilton after last year’

2022 F1 season

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Former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen admitted he took pleasure in seeing his son lap his former championship rival following the rivalry between the pair last year.

Max Verstappen lapped Lewis Hamilton on his way to winning the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. Hamilton finished 13th.

“Honestly, I did enjoy seeing Max lap Hamilton, after everything that happened last year,” the 50-year-old wrote on his son’s website. “Hamilton really had a tough time, whereas his teammate George Russel [sic] seemed to be more balanced. It’s not often you have the opportunity to lap a Mercedes.”

Hamilton and Verstappen went into the final round of last season tied on points after an increasingly tense championship fight between the pair of them.

Verstappen and his Red Bull team vehemently criticised Hamilton following a collision between the pair at the British Grand Prix. The stewards ruled the Mercedes driver was “predominantly” to blame for the tangle, which resulted in a heavy crash for the Red Bull driver, a verdict which “surprised” Verstappen.

Red Bull unsuccessfully petitioned the FIA to review the incident, seeking a harsher penalty for Hamilton, who went on to win the race. The team also criticised Hamilton for celebrating his victory after Verstappen, who had been seen standing beside his car after the crash, was taken to hospital.

The pair clashed again over the remainder of the season. Verstappen landed on top of Hamilton’s car in a collision at Monza, and was penalised for what Hamilton called a “brake test” in Jeddah.

Further controversy clouded the championship decider. The FIA confirmed last month Michael Masi, who was its F1 race director at the time, did not follow its regulations in arranging a final-lap restart, following which Verstappen passed Hamilton to win the championship.

Verstappen scored his second win of the 2022 season on Sunday, while Hamilton has not been in contention for victories.

“Max had an excellent weekend in Imola,” said his father. “I found him incredibly strong. He didn’t make a single mistake, was solid and completely in control.

“Red Bull clearly made a step in the right direction. Of course, we knew the car would get an upgrade in Italy, but with the weather conditions it was hard to make a comparison. But we can definitely conclude that we’ve become stronger.”

His son said lapping Hamilton during the race was of little consequence to him. “They’ve been slow all year so it’s not really a surprise,” he said.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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163 comments on “Verstappen’s father Jos ‘enjoyed seeing Max lap Hamilton after last year’”

  1. Savage.

    1. True to that.

      1. Savage? He should not have enjoyed seeing his son lap LH? Really? Jos’ enjoyment of that is a surprise?

        1. There is a difference between enjoying a big victory and talking about it in such a manner, especially when the situation involves misery and technical problems of the rival. A civilized person should know that difference.

    2. Come on, 90% of Hamilton’s fans would drool over the same opportunity. British fans usually really enjoy such moments, and not just fans, but commentators too. You can always hear it in “Crofty’s” voice, you can hear him giggling whenever things start going Hamilton’s way. And don’t get me wrong, Brits are not the only ones, but unlike most others they pretend it’s always everyone else but them. You’re always first to point fingers.

      1. Absolutely spot on. Helped by the fact LH was lapped by MV on pure pace alone and not due to differing setups, safety cars, strategy mistakes, pit stops errors or just bad luck. No excuses, just wasn’t fast enough. Russell managed to pass KMag in the very capable Haas for 5th / 6th pretty quickly WITHOUT DRS, yet Lewis couldn’t get past Stroll for 10th / 11th in a cumbersome Aston Martin lap after lap with DRS.

        As for Crofty, I know most commentators are a little biased here and there, but I think Crofty actually has a bit of a crush on LH sometimes.

      2. Dean,

        Your liberal use of the word “always” is insulting (though I acknowledge you also ‘tried’ to give your comments some credence with the use of 90% at one stage, though still insulting and baseless). However I would assume most with any intelligence would dismiss your comments given your need to resort to hyperbole to (attempt to) make your point.

    3. Get him a damn stylist. The flat bill is cool if you are 18, from California and ride moto-x, but not a nerdy Belgian with a massive overbite.

      1. Both true, and a non-issue at the same time.

    4. Why is this news and people go berserk on that i would just ignore what the elder Verstappen says.

      1. 129 comments and counting is the reason. This will happen throughout the year in a deliberate attempt to sell advertising space. And why wouldnt they try and do that?

  2. Why anyone gives this wife beating, skull fracturing, attempted murderer the time of day is frankly beyond me.

    1. Noframingplease (@)
      27th April 2022, 15:27

      @jazz Please, can you give me a link where that beast is actualy accused of all those horrible things? ‘Attempting murder’ ? It seems ‘racefans’ commenters do know more than dutch ministry of justice.

      1. The Dutch Ministry of Justice certainly know about him as he was charged with attempted murder in 2012 for running down his ex girlfriend and assaulting her. And he was also convicted by a Belgian court of fracturing someone’s skull after an argument at a karting track.

        https://www.grandprix247.com/2012/01/08/verstappen-charged-with-attempted-murder/

        1. Noframingplease (@)
          27th April 2022, 20:24

          @nomad If you only read old news and not the part that wasn’t in international media cuze it wasn’t spicy enough, yeah…. than you missed the most important part. Wasn’t convicted and the whole case blew over. Reading the bias here from the mostly british fans That last part doesn’t interest them

          1. What a disgusting and intellectually dishonest reply. You asked for a link where Verstappen was accused of these things and you got it. Now, instead of acknowledging that, you’re moving the goalposts and claiming that wife beating and fracturing someone’s jaw at a go-kart track isn’t a big deal because it happened a long time ago. And don’t you dare whinge about international media coverage as if that’s biased as well. He was convicted in two different courts of law of assault, threatening his wife and violating a restraining order.

            Lots of Dutch fans complain about British bias, but on this evidence Verstappen fans are far, far worse.

          2. Jos actually bought himself out of jail time by settling financially out of court with the defendant, which is somehow allowed in Belgian court:
            https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/verstappen-guilty-of-assault-but-walks-free-5055580/5055580/

          3. Jos Verstappen WAS convicted, actually.

          4. @ferrox-glideh I would be more critical about motorsport with news other then cars

            Verstappen was not present in court. His father, who was also involved in the incident, received the same sentence.

            Max never was convicted still they said Max had the same sentance Jos was 28 years old in that time in 2000 which we are talking about Max was like 3-4 years old?
            So what you think what was posted is mostly about the half the truth…

            So was Jos a nice guy not when he is drinking but he gets also wiser getting older.

          5. @macleod What does Max have to do with this?

          6. @ferrox-glideh – Because if you see the quote i used from that site you provided they were writing that Max was involved (ofcourse he was there) and was convicted TOO IF we have to believe your resource.
            That was why just took out that phrase which is about Max to say it was rubbish (Not the fight ofcourse) but to write Max was convicted……. when he was a toddler.

            Internet resources are dangerous to be use the amount of youngsters i have to correct who believe Wiki is huge..

        2. Noframingplease (@)
          28th April 2022, 22:08

          @nomad oh sorry, my mistake. I meant ‘convicted’ instead of proof for charged. But your words about my ‘disgusting’ reaction ticked all the boxes of a british ‘fan’
          ‘ State has to pay Jos Verstappen more than 40,000 euros The State must pay former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen more than 41,500 euros in damages for the criminal case against him that ended without conviction. Verstappen had asked for 121,500 euros in compensation.’
          Source: https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/staat-moet-jos-verstappen-ruim-40-000-euro-betalen~a17482a2/
          I suggest you translate the rest.
          I’m not defending ‘mister hot headed Jos .V, like you brits like make up stories about ‘orange glassed fans’. There something more important happening here. A father, convicted or not, is bashed here by uninformed guy’s like you. Guy like you who have read some articles in the past and are just smart enough to find it again. The rest of the stories are never published in british media, cuze it didn’t match a good narrative. Again, the stories of mister Jos are known by every dutch F1 follower. Nobody is denying this black page in the story about Max, but the way you think you are well informed about this, and write about fans from the netherlands? Yes,… that’s really disg….no, polarizing.

        3. Noframingplease (@)
          28th April 2022, 22:31

          @nomad Hey shall we do next time when Norris gets a well deserved podium a bashing about his dad? How he paid his son into this business. Not interesting? In my opinion the same interesting as ‘the jos hot headed’ dad. Totally not relevant, just like your ‘bashing’ about a Jos is.

          1. Your pathetic rant shames you more than I ever could. You can call me uninformed all you like, but the reality is that Jos Verstappen has been convicted of assault, threatening an ex and violating a restraining order. That is not ignorance. That is a legal fact, backed up by testimony in a court of law. If you have evidence that Norris’s dad fractured someone’s jaw, threatened his wife and rammed his ex with a car, feel free to bring it. Until then, you should consider why you have such a burning desire to defend a sick, twisted thug like Jos Verstappen.

        4. Noframingplease (@)
          30th April 2022, 14:37

          @nomad reading and understanding isn’t your thing isn’t?

          1. Your insult would be more cutting if it made sense.

      2. Accused but not convicted except the girlfriend relation fights. I don’t think he hit Sophie it was his later girlfriend (not the current one) where things went wrong. The cart incident was drunk fight stuff not really a murder attempt.
        Jos had certain a issue of a short temper.

        1. Nobody’s saying the cart incident was attempted murder, but he was convicted of assault. He has also been convicted of assault for beating his wife. In a separate incident, he was charged with attempted murder for ramming his ex-girlfriend with a car. The charges were later dropped but it’s hardly a ringing endorsement of his character.

          1. Correction: he was found guilty of threatening his ex-wife and violating a restraining order.

          2. That is true as he has a short fuse when drinking but saying he planned to kill his girlfriend (ex) is nonsense that was a bad cause of relations agression. I don’t know about his ex wife Sophie to be honest.
            the only thing was fighting on the karttrack where someone got hurt which was settled before court and he recieved a light sentence.

        2. @macleod Replying to your comment to above about the article I referenced:
          If you read the article again, more carefully this time, you will notice that it mentions the 28 year old Jos Verstappen and HIS father (Max’s grandfather.). There is no mention at all about Max in the article, which was written in October 2000, and Max would have been 3 at the time.
          Internet sources can be fine, but you actually have to bother to read them correctly.

          1. @ferrox-glideh – reading the article back i agree with you i didn’t understood the text i thought it was about Jos and Max but it was Frans and Jos. I remember this as it was news in the newspapers.

      3. Sorry, 12hr shift got in the way of a more immediate response. Yep, the facts of its criminal record is only a wiki page away. Really boggles my mind that a creature of such criminal pedigree is given the time of day by formula one. We don’t entertain Flavio Briatore or Nelson Piquet jr, so why’s this clown treated any differently?

        1. he never cheated F1 that why ….

  3. Good to see Racefans finally got the quote they wanted so badly. Shame it’s from the wrong Verstappen, but at least you got it.

    1. +1 soo cheap, everything the old Verstappen says should just be muted. Max has already given his respectful view on the situation.

      And honestly, who cares about Hamilton right now? We should be talking about Russell, who is clearly performing at a higher level right now, and has the hunger to fight for every single point. A big lesson in humility for the team and its fans, who suffer from a severe case of entitlement.

  4. RaceFans isn’t much worse than Drive to Survive when it comes to stirring up controversies. Sad.

    1. So there’s no post on news.verstappen.com with those exact words?

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        27th April 2022, 11:20

        There is but it’s F1 gossip rather than F1 news. I don’t personally care what the dad of an F1 driver has to say but I’m sure DTS would do a whole episode on it because that’s the sort of stuff they are interested in.

        For me, it’s just a bit of a shame that this site is catering for that side of the market more heavily now rather than the stuff I’m interested in – the technical side and the stuff that matters on the sporting side of things.

        1. I agree. This is more Planetf1 gossip stuff. Racefans please keep being a professional F1 website for real F1 fans.

          1. Agree, there isn’t enough enough here to write a proper article. A tiny part of it was about what Jos said, the rest of the article was just repeating what happened last season to pad it out.

        2. Not sure how this qualifies as gossip given it is written in black and white on that site – it isn’t some second or third-hand misquote from some unverifiable source. That said, it is quite rich hearing this from you:

          rather than the stuff I’m interested in – the technical side and the stuff that matters on the sporting side of things

        3. This. That article about the Honda engine are way too few and far between. Really enjoyed the insight of that story, wish there were more.

        4. 100% agree.
          Keith, you may think you are winning audiences with such articles because of the number of reactions, but many people are getting fed up by them, including me.

      2. Feel free to visit that site, but I still hope for the old f1fanatic.co.uk to be resurrected one day.
        Statistics, discussions, and in-depth article about the sport, rather than this klicbayting.

        1. Here’s what I don’t get: I see lots of comments like yours about the old site, content quality etc. But when I look at the site, the number of pieces that meet the “old site” standard (by my judgement admittedly) far outnumber ones like this. However, the engagement – measured by comments – on those is far, far lower. Even those that complain hardly comment on them (not sure if they read them). Why?

          1. But when I look at the site, the number of pieces that meet the “old site” standard (by my judgement admittedly) far outnumber ones like this.

            Most of today’s article would not pass the muster of the old site’s standards.
            – most articles (e.g. this, the previous, and the next) would merely make it as a link in tonight’s round-up (often whole articles written around one hollow quote);
            – this article is a good example of how the editors want to keep linking back to divisive articles/events in the past, just to repeat the comment count.
            – headlines are nowadays chosen just to stir the pot, rather than reflect the content.
            – the round-up is no longer a review of what was written on other sites/publications, but rather a repeat of empty social media imagery.

            Luckily we still have the: solid race reviews, statistical articles, some technical reviews, (especially when Dieter wrote) some behind the scenes of the business, and of course the Caption Competition

          2. I agree with your observation, but I guess it’s part of the problem: articles like these stir up a discussion, which generates more comments and therefore more pageviews.
            The other articles you mention are usually in-depth, technical and also complete and, with that, less controversial. There’s little point in adding a comment like “thanks”, “indeed” or “I agree” to that, though that would make for a fairer balance towards these gossip-y, searching-for-the-controversy articles (or more often only the headlines).

    2. I’m not going to sit here and blame this site for posting this article. What Jos said is a fact, and to me should be no surprise whatsoever. So of course there is an article on an F1 site, as that is the function of this site, no? So…no surprise Jos said what he said, which imho was very tame and to be expected, and no surprise there is an article providing his quotes. The only thing ‘controversial’ is that which is provided by the lowlife posters who have taken the opportunity to reveal their own true colours.

      1. I’ve said it before but I’ll repeat it – I wish we had more Max fans and commenters here were like you.

  5. Unsurprisingly. I remember watching him struggling (and failing) to bring himself to mention Lewis’ name in some video last year (probably Coulthard’s post Abu Dhabi interview with them in their hotel) and I could only shake my head. The contempt he holds for Lewis make me think he is actually one of three commenters on this site.

    1. I really think he has something better to do than read and react to comments on this site.

      Yours sincerely,
      Jos

  6. I will be canceling and disputing the charge of F1 Tv if we have to sit through Verstappen domination of this sport.

    1. Waaaaah! Waaaaah! :’D

    2. Let the door hit you on the way out.

  7. Simply Laughable, especially coming from a guy that spent the majority of his career being lapped (and then crashing in to someone that has lapped him.)

    Hamilton gets hate for being so called arrogant and the same people support Max, who’s Dad and that muppet Marko come out with comments like this.

    After Lewis and his father conducted themselves post race in AD after that farce compared to the RBR camp some of the haters will need to have a look at themselves.

    1. “some of the haters will need to have a look at themselves.” Said an obvious hater.

    2. Noframingplease (@)
      27th April 2022, 16:16

      @brownerboy So when MB tweets ‘you love to see it’ after the double dfn of RB the Hamilton fans are going crazy about a pretty normal opinion from max’s dad. Yes, …. Not very surprising

      1. Comments like this Browner Boy’s is what can be expected when you give pimply teenagers the chance to vent their “opinion”.

        1. Childish insults really show your age and your drive to survive based knowledge.

          Also, atleast learn to spell someone’s user ID before trying to insult them 👍

      2. Take off your rose tinted glasses. That comment was clearly about the podium achieved. It doesn’t take a genius to work that out.

        Unless you’re the usual troll who doesn’t bother to do any research before commenting nonsense.

  8. Fine Champion you have selected to be face of Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz!

    1. Can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not.

  9. Every moment of airtime this man gets as a result of his son’s talent is a black mark on F1.

    I hope one day we will see a Max Verstappen who can succeed without his vampire of a father jumping in the spotlight – awful person, worse role model.

    His talent comes from his mother.

    1. +1 Max doesn’t need any of this either. But the old man just loves to be the center of attention.

      It’s a big shame that he managed to find a platform for his hateful comments through his son’s success.

      1. Noframingplease (@)
        28th April 2022, 22:47

        @br444m The ‘platform’ found his dad!

  10. I think most of us, who are fans primarily of the sport rather than any particular team or driver, and who have found the past several years of single-team dominance dispiriting, probably enjoyed that moment on Sunday. It was a further indication that the old era might finally be over, and a new and exciting one awaits.

    1. I think most of us, who are fans primarily of the sport rather than any particular team or driver

      Wow, we have here, Ladies and Gentlemen, the superior being, the man who looks above all of us, the fan of F1 as a sport, the man who doesn’t have a favourite driver or team…

      Get a grip, bro…

      1. Yes, not-the-bro-of-@red-andy,
        There are still many F1 fans on this site who appreciate the sports more than any particular driver/team.
        It’s easy to recognise them; just read their posts.

    2. and a new and exciting one awaits.

      What if it were merely a change of guards with a new era of dominance by a different team coming up? :-)

      1. Then I’ll probably enjoy it for about a year or so before getting bored and hoping for a change again. Similar to how I enjoyed the start of the turbo/hybrid era and how it spelled an end to Red Bull’s dominance. I don’t mind teams having the odd dominant season, especially after a major rule change – it is, after all, a reward for getting the new regs right – but several seasons of the same team winning everything gets dull quickly.

  11. Marko, Horner and the elder Verstappen present a poisonous atmosphere in the team for young drivers and a nasty mark on the image of F1.

  12. To mention this in a round-up, OK. But promoting it to a full article on Racefans reeks like bias.

  13. Rivalries are part of the DNA of sport and have been part of the many sports including cricket, football and Aussie Rules that I have followed. These rivalries were part of the sport before I was born and will remain after I am gone. Part of this is reveling in beating a rival or a rivals misfortune and enjoyed more by fans whom are invested and passionate.

    Teams/Players also share the rivalries. I recall an antidote from a footballer in his first derby – to paraphrase ” I was grabbed by the throat and held up against the lockers and told “you won’t understand this as you are from up north, but today matters”. He understood the importance of the game!

    So why the criticism of Jos. It’s part of the game.

    1. So why not criticise Jos for being a violent thug and abuser? As you said it’s part of the game isn’t it.

  14. Maybe British Hamilton worshipers tend to underestimate the impact “The Silverstone Incident” has had on Saint Lewis’ reputation with F1 followers in The Netherlands. As one of those Dutch F1 followers I can fully appreciate Verstappen sr’s satisfaction when Max lapped Lewis, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if lots of fellow Dutch F1 watchers felt exactly the same.

    And before you start complaining about Verstappen doing the same to Lewis, there is a BIG differende between using your elbows in a chicane and bumping your adversary off the road in an ultra high speed corner (and then going to celebrate your win like it was the first one).

    1. Fine, I’ll bite

      “That’s what you get when you don’t leave space”

      1. @donnie:
        https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xGgpdb2WhRE

        For reference the Hamilton – Leclerc corner is added as well. There was room and Verstappen was actually on a wider trajectory than Leclerc. The big difference is Hamiltons position and trajectory. The car was heavy with fuel and he went too wide.

        1. @baasbas compare that to the Brazil incident and the only difference is that Lewis took a wider line to avoid the accident at Interlagos where Max didn’t at Silverstone.

          1. Noframingplease (@)
            28th April 2022, 22:52

            @nomad @gardenfella72 Speaking about moving goalposts or whatabouts.

        2. He trained for the move pretty well on Albon.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlJBNZGmmrk
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHBgQw5OecA

          Thankfully he didn’t win the championship.

      2. There was space, though.

  15. So, Masi robs Hamilton of victory in Abu Dhabi, at the same time changing the outcome of the Drivers’ Championship. Despite the extreme emotions, Lewis, his father and his brother ‘do the right thing’ and congratulate Max and his family immediately after the race.

    In return, Jos Verstappen gloats because his son lapped Hamilton.

    As they say, form is temporary but class is permanent.

    Not that I expect anything better from Jos. You don’t get a 5 year suspended prison sentence; a 3 month suspended prison sentence; charged with assault; a restraining order; and arrested for attempted murder without being a lowlife.

    1. You said it exactly @sonnycrockett.
      The man fits the toxic RB family perfectly.

    2. In return, Jos Verstappen gloats because his son lapped Hamilton.

      “Gloats”? He spent exactly one sentence on it. “Honestly, I did enjoy seeing Max lap Hamilton, after everything that happened last year.”

      I enjoyed it too. See my post above. Does that make me a gloater?

      Btw, what is your age? My guess is 15.

      1. In my mind at least, yes, I’m 15!

        Gloater ;)

      2. @rinodina Yeah, that’s gloating…

        Gloat
        Verb

        to look at or think about with great or excessive, often smug or malicious, satisfaction:
        The opposing team gloated over our bad luck.

        https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gloat

        1. OK. Now search your dictionary for a synonym for “enjoy” like in “I enjoyed the party”.

        2. @optimaximal By the very definition you have provided, what Jos said is certainly not gloating. One sentence saying he ‘enjoyed’ seeing Max lap LH is hardly ‘great or excessive’ nor ‘smug or malicious.’ I think he was just being honest. As well, Mercedes are not even in the fight so far, and that had already become apparent to the world before Max lapped LH, so Jos is hardly being smug. As Max said, it was ‘no surprise.’ But I do think Jos still thinks LH and Mercedes level of celebrations after Silverstone was them gloating by your posted definition.

    3. Off course Lewis, his dad and brother congratulated Max and Jos after AD. Otherwise Jos would’ve smashed their skulls.
      That’s the narrative people on this site like, right?

      1. The facts speak for themselves.

        Of course, if Hamilton’s father had the same criminal record as Max’s, nobody would raise it (or even amplify it) so as to fit the stereotype, would they?

        1. If Hamilton’s father had the same criminal record as Max’s, he would be in jail.

          1. Noframingplease (@)
            27th April 2022, 16:45

            @ferrox-glideh please you you show me some links about this criminal. The must be a load of it. Or are you just parroting @sonnycrockett the LH fan who like to bash on every ‘verstappen’ thing. Except when he wins, than ‘racefans’ commentzone is completely silent

          2. @nofanboysplease

            It’s on the internet. You don’t need to look very hard.

            And I’m a McLaren fan not a Hamilton fan!

          3. @nofanboysplease If you have been paying attention to F1 for any length of time, you would know more about it. I recommend doing your own research on the subject, so you can frame it your own way (what on earth do you mean by noframingplease?). For the record, I think that Max is a fine driver, and is finally starting to mature well outside of the car, which is exactly how I view Lewis too. On the other hand, I think Jos is a nasty piece of work.
            Oh, and if my parrot routine isn’t enough for you, I am also a McLaren fan! What a coincidence! What are the odds?! Good grief.

    4. +1

      That guy is just awful. And would be completely irrelevant were it not for his son.

    5. Noframingplease (@)
      27th April 2022, 16:52

      @sonnycrockett So when MB tweets after the double DNF of redbull ‘you love to see it’ that not ‘gloating’? Or are you just showing the double standard in sportsmanship many fans show here?

      1. at best, you can claim plausible deniability and we both know it.
        at worse, causation does not equal correlation.

        a widely understood non podium car was suddenly in contention for a podium. we all love to see it.

        1. Noframingplease (@)
          28th April 2022, 23:04

          @anon which correlation I missed?

      2. Yep, that’s also gloating.

        If F1 Fanatics writes an article about it then I’ll be the first to comment.

        Next question…

        1. Noframingplease (@)
          27th April 2022, 20:36

          @sonnycrockett Glad you acknowledge you only react on the somewhat pro british journalism Racefans is. No, Sonny, the day @keithcollantine will write a serious article about the influence of MB and Toto in Fia rules and how they often indirectly influence british media (and so worldwide F1 reportings) is not expected very soon.

      3. When he’s winning it’s not the car. When he isn’t winning it’s the car. You’re trying to talk sense with the Hamfosi. The goalpost will always move. Every time.

  16. Sorry to all those that think this is really awful of Verstappen Sr. to say but how is much different to Mercedes’ own official Twitter account saying ‘You love to see it’ when both Red Bulls had mechanical failure and elevated Hamilton to a podium? Is it salty? Sure, but if you’re picking sides Merc chose to gloat at Red Bull’s misfortune first without prompt or reason so why are you surprised when anyone Red Bull affiliated would return the favour?

    1. And I haven’t seen an entire article about Mercedes’s salty messages towards Red Bull’s misfortune.
      I mean: every social media/communications team should communicate the way they deem fitting to their team and/or brand. I expect from journalists, who have shown they know the sport and are very good at writing in-depth stuff, that they are gatekeepers to keep nonsense either out or balanced.

      1. I would hardly call this “an entire article”. Go read it again and you’ll see it’s nothing more than reporting the few words Jos said. The rest of the “article” is just repeating what happened last year.

        1. It’s an entire article in the sense that it has its own page and comment section, rather than it being part of the round up. Given how much of the article (as you point out) isn’t exactly ‘news’ I wonder why it isn’t just a quote on the round up.

  17. So , son is more mature than the father…

  18. I feel the title of the article (as happens more often) is suggesting something far worse than the actual sentiment Verstappen sr. meant. The media asks him a direct question and he (very briefly) answers. And yes, of course it feels good to lap the man you’ve been pitted against a whole season. I don’t care much for the personal history of Jos, but a lot of people seem to condemn a perfectly normal sentiment. Or does everybody here really think Mercedes felt nothing but pity for the Red Bulls at the double DNF this year? If so you can re-read your comments on this site alone.

  19. I’d like to Jos in prison where he belongs, given his many past indiscretions!

  20. Former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen

    Entries – 107 (106 starts)
    Championships – Zero
    Wins – Zero
    Podiums – 2
    Career points – 17
    Well at least his son can drive.

    1. @david-br Well at least Jos made it to F1. And he admits he was nowhere compared to what his son has been able to do. So what’s your point? Jos shouldn’t take pleasure at seeing his son lap a rival, and this one in particular?

      1. @robbie I can’t speak for the man, but a more class response would be to say it’s a shame they’re not up there, fighting again with more-equal machinery.

        It’s well known that Lewis frequently said that he wished that both RBR and Ferrari were up fighting at the front consistently throughout his 6-7 years at the front, even if he did secretly enjoy the fact they were still a second or two off his pace.

        1. Noframingplease (@)
          27th April 2022, 16:40

          Like it would be more class of MB, toto and lewis not playing the hypocrite game in 2021. ‘Yes, we do like competion’ and than influencing the FIA for new rules and framing stories about an ‘surprisingly fast Honda engine’

        2. @optimaximal I can’t speak for the man either, so we can go by what he did say which to me was quite tame, and quite understandable. I’d be surprised if Jos thought it was a shame, after 8 years straight of having the WCC car, and after 7 WDCs, that LH and Mercedes aren’t still up there. And now they have Ferrari as a rival anyway. And at least Ferrari is not sat there spending race after race (the 4 we have had so far) unfoundedly claiming illegality after illegality towards RBR, setting a negative tone and a TP rivalry right off the bat.

          As to what LH frequently said, I know for me personally my thought (and I know I wasn’t alone) every time he said he wished for more competition was that it is easy to say that when you are running away from the field and quite confident said competition was not about to happen any time soon, including from the very teammate with the same winning car.

          But no, I do believe there is something to a driver (any athlete), including LH, feeling more fulfilled or more rewarded after winning a race or a Championship that was hard fought and won, but failing that, hey if you can cakewalk it, well, thats just the way the cookie (cake) crumbles sometimes, or often in the case of LH.

          And I’ve read some quotes from Jos this morning because of this article above, and for sure Jos changed his level of respect towards LH after Silverstone and the way he and Mercedes celebrated their win. My opinion on that was that even if they knew Max was fine and not ‘in hospital’ (as in injured), they still celebrated like it was fair game to take Max out, get penalized for it, get to repair LH’s car that he damaged when hitting Max under the red flag condition that LH caused, and go on to win, and then celebrate it like that’s just normal stuff and well and hard fought. You’d think they could have had a bit more class in the sense of not taking as much pride or honour in a win that they achieved by taking their rival out, as per the stewards ruling. They could have been more contrite even knowing Max was fine, but knowing that taking your rival out is not an ideal way to win. Rather they chose to rub it in RBR’s faces, which of course can happen with vicious rivalries.

          All this just to say that after all that if all Jos has said is he enjoyed seeing his son lap LH, well, is that any surprise? I’ll just add that of course my words here invite the whole “Max turned into LH” debate but that is irrelevant as to what Jos, by his quotes about Silverstone, thinks, and it is Jos and his comment that is the topic here, and I can see why he enjoyed seeing LH lapped.

          1. Have an upvote.

          2. @robbie I’m sure Jos Verstappen is indeed still stewing in his rage about a perceived ‘lack of caring’ from Hamilton and Mercedes at Silverstone. It’s the kind of person he is. Weird that I don’t think you are anything like that. So why you so keenly support his worldview kind of baffles me.

      2. @robbie The point’s fairly clear, I think. Verstappen Sr. was a mediocre racing driver and taking vicarious pleasure in his son lapping his rival from last year is really an unworthy sentiment and probably not one you’d find among actual champion drivers or contenders who have a much better appreciation of what’s involved.

        1. @david-br I doubt Jos is ‘still stewing in his rage’ whatsoever, but that doesn’t mean he is forgetful either. I envision Jos smiling when Max lapped LH. ‘Vicarious pleasure’ though? That’s probably well overstating it too. I’m sure Jos’s peak pleasure came when Max won the WDC. Max lapping LH last weekend was smile worthy for him.

          1. @robbie

            As he did not really ‘win’ the championship, I expect his father has to get his kicks somewhere…

            Surprised that you feel the need to defend him but then after AD it’s no shock.

          2. @drgraham There’s really nothing to defend other than the silly comments around here. I wasn’t going to say a thing until I saw the numbers of ridiculous comments. Jos enjoyed seeing his son lap LH. What a shock.

  21. Why is there any outrage over this? I remember when Webber cheered lapping Schumacher. The fact this is seen as a big deal for Jos underlines Hamilton’s status as one of the top dogs in the sport.

    1. @brum55 Yeah as pointed out in the article Jos also said ‘it is not often you have the opportunity to lap a Mercedes.’

      1. @robbie exactly, Hamilton fans should start worrying when lapping him isn’t considered a big deal or worthy of comment, like with Alonso, Vettel or Riccardio.

  22. I am certainly no fan of Jos Verstappen … pretty much the opposite, actually. Given his exact quote however, I don’t see much to get all wound up about. Not in the greatest taste I suppose, but given the guy’s history and reputation, I’d have expected something a bit nastier from him. Pretty mild stuff really.

  23. Compare this, to the dignity and graciousness of Lewis and his dad in Abu Dhabi, and you see the fundamental differences in characters

    1. @unklegsif There is nothing undignified in what Jos has said, and both he and Max have acknowledged the brief pleasantries post AD between he and his son and LH and his Dad. Jos has spoken of some pleasant conversations he had on and off with LH’s Dad during the season too. Anyway, nice to see LH and his Dad mending fences after LH ungraciously dumped him as his manager and broke his heart in the way he did it a number of years ago.

      1. What a lap dog you are

      2. I never said that Jos’s comments were undignified tho, did I…

        1. @unklegsif No you just implied it.

          1. G (@unklegsif)
            28th April 2022, 8:47

            @robbie No, you just inferred it

      3. Hmmm – Robbie, just after I’d commented commending you, this is pretty unlike you:

        Anyway, nice to see LH and his Dad mending fences after LH ungraciously dumped him as his manager and broke his heart in the way he did it a number of years ago.

        Have the comments finally gotten to you? Those fences were mended long time ago. Besidese, parting ways with his dad as manager was not so much ‘ungracious’ as something that he felt he needed to do as an adult in his own right (and I’m struggling to see the relevance here).

        1. Emma yeah the ridiculous comments with Jos’s past being brought into it like that should preclude him from enjoying seeing his son lap LH made me want to point out that there is history everywhere, and yet time heals, people change etc etc. The quote I read from LH’s Dad was that the way LH dumped him broke his heart. Yet there he was with LH. Just as Jos is with Max. And there can be bumps and bruises along the way. That’s life.

  24. Noframingplease (@)
    27th April 2022, 16:56

    @keithcollantine feeding the british narrative about the bad boy who stole Lewis’ 8 Championship

  25. Stay classy you Verstappen fans…

    1. Class responses all over the place here;-)

    2. Noframingplease (@)
      30th April 2022, 14:44

      Well I see some very classy responses from the non-verstappen camp. Real classy

      1. What has that got to do with JV enjoying his son lapping Hamilton? “He’s a criminal, so he hasn’t the right of an opinion.”

        You, like the rest of the Jos bashers in this thread, are just acting silly.

    1. Jos apologists demand to see the evidence.
      Evidence produced.
      Jos apologists demand to know what right you have to show such evidence.

  26. He’d be lying (or should I say, stating the PC thing) if he answered otherwise. Now that may be the done thing for media-house-trained instagram people, but not the rest of us.

    If someone made a deliberate tactical foul that jeopardized my son’s life in order to get ahead in the championship, I’d enjoy seeing him get lapped too. Pretty mild really.

  27. Hmm, At least Hamilton didnt crash into the back of Max, unlike Jos who prevented Montoya winning!

  28. He who laughs last laughs longest….

  29. Well, at least we can conclude that Keith more than suceeded in mobilising the dimwitted Hamilton Fan Brigade into collectively hammering this criminal skullcrusher and wife beater that is Max Verstappen’s dad. Congratulations!

  30. José Lopes da Silva
    27th April 2022, 21:20

    As I said a few days ago, only fans care about this, not drivers themselves.
    Jos Verstappen is one of the most passionate F1 fans in the world, so this is quite understandable.

  31. Too much light on a backmarker being overtaken midway to the chequered flag. British media should be talking more about the impeccable performance of the Imola racing winner. By the way, there are 2 other British racing drivers that did better than that backmarker in the same race. They deserve more attention from brit. media.

    1. Of course, the dutch media never mentioned the fact that Verstappen lapped Hamilton this weekend.

      1. Verstappen, Marko, Rosberg, Grosjean, Hakkinen, Schumacher all focused their attention on Hamilton this weekend. Damned British media.

  32. Measured reaction from a proud father. A less measured one would have dwelt on the fact that RUS showed what the W13 was capable of while HAM floundered in the same machinery for a second weekend in succession.

    1. Am I missing something? Ham was easily leading Russell home in Aus before a fortuitous SC pit stop for George. And that’s Hamilton floundering?

  33. Anthony and Lewis Hamilton would be raked across coals for saying something like this! Such a disgraceful comment from the Verstappens.

  34. Trying really hard to draw the relationship between, JV’s behaviour and a bunch of supposed F1 fans…or are Ham fans just tying to convince the rest to hate Max? Guess it is really hard to use Ham’s performance for that right now.

  35. Who cares what JV enjoyed or did not enjoy. I enjoyed seeing Max lap Lewis, just like Lewis fans enjoyed watching Lewis bump Max of the track (Even saw them cheering on TV) and Max’s tire blow out while leading by a country mile. You can all deny, but you lie. It’s human nature.

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