Amid this epic Lewis vs Max battle, spare a thought for Verstappen’s father Jos whose heart-rate must skyrocket regularly during a Grand Prix as he watches The Best versus The Best.
The Jos-Verstappen-Method has produced one of the greatest racing talents ever, and now the fruits of their legendary rise to the summit of the sport are starting to bear fruit.
After eight rounds Verstappen junior leads the Championship Standings for the first time and is poised for his best ever shot at a first-ever Formula 1 world title with Red Bull reclaiming the might they showed a decade or so ago.
Speaking to Sport1, Jos said of Max’s victory at the Styrian Grand Prix on Sunday: “For me, this race was better for me than the French Grand Prix where my heart rate was much higher than even Max!
“This Sunday it was easier and it looked good. The gap between Max and Lewis was bigger. You always hope that everything goes well, as we saw in Baku anything can happen and it always remains exciting.”
‘Jos and Max: The Karting Years’ is a sure Netflix box-office hit if someone wrote the script for it. Thus no surprise that Father keeps tabs on Son during Grand Prix weekends too. Some habits die hard.
On that matter, Jos revealed: “We always talk on the phone before the race. I always tell him to go for it but also to be careful and in this case to keep looking ahead. And Max did it perfectly.”
With the victory tally now 4-3 to Max versus Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull have the high ground as they remain for back-to-back races at their very own Ring, with Pirelli tyres that will suit their package even more so.
The thinking is: If Red Bull could beat Mercedes last Sunday, they are also likely to do so this Sunday at the same venue.
Jos is confident his boy’s team have the ammo: “It is difficult to say how the title fight will go but for us this year is an opportunity. I believe that Red Bull will do everything to seize that opportunity and that is good for us. We have had from the beginning of the year had a good car.
“Good downforce and a good engine. Everything was better than last year from the first race and equivalent to Mercedes. The upgrades are working well. In the Red Bull factory they have done a good job,” said the former F1 driver.
The big difference this year for Max, is the arrival of Sergio Perez who is helping turn Red Bull into two-man team as opposed to Max’s solo efforts of the past. The Mexican has won a race for the Bulls and is embracing his role as Verstappen’s wingman, but being pitted against such a talent is no small challenge for the veteran.
Of Perez, Jos said: “Co-operation between them is going well. Perez needs to improve a bit in qualifying so that he is closer to the front. During races he is strong and in France, he was very good. This weekend less so, which you could already see in practice.
“This was only his seventh race, I think he will improve. So far he is doing fine,” added Jos.
The Lewis vs Max show pits the Old Guard versus the Young Gun, the King of F1 versus the Pretender to the Throne. Will experience triumph over youth?
Jos acknowledged: “Of course Lewis has a lot of experience, but for Max it is also his seventh season and his sixth with Red Bull, which is going very well. He has worked with the same engineers for six years, so I don’t foresee any problems in that regard.”
Who is better? Verstappen or Hamilton is a great debate that keeps F1 forums and comments sizzling. Jos surprised with his answer: “I think Lewis and Max are equal. It’s very difficult to compare as they don’t drive the same car. We have a good car, but the Mercedes is also very strong.
“This Sunday saw that Max was very consistent, especially in his first stint. The lap times were continuously within a tenth of a second of each other. It’s hard to say, but I think Max and Lewis are the two best drivers at the moment,” ventured Jos.