Jos Verstappen escapes ‘violent’ rally car crash unhurt in Belgium
admin_news
Jos Verstappen escaped unharmed after a “violent” rally car crash at the Rallye de Wallonie in Belgium on Sunday.
The 54-year-old, father of four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, lost control of his car during the Loyers special stage of the race and crashed into a tree.
Photos from the wreckage show the car flipped upside-down but Verstappen and co-driver Jasper Vermeulen escaped unhurt.
Verstappen Snr. is the reigning national rally champion and had been running third before his car “violently” went off the road, according to the competition’s social media platforms.
The Dutchman was competing without his usual co-driver Renaud Jamoul, who has recently had surgery on an ankle injury.
Verstappen Snr. has been a regular in Formula 1 paddocks over the last 11 years, supporting his son Max in the Red Bull garage. He is also a former F1 driver himself with 106 grands prix and two podiums to his name.
He has also recently given his verdict on the new F1 rules this year, which have been extensively criticised by son Max, who says he is considering quitting the sport at the end of the season.
Speaking about the new regulations and his son’s plans, Verstappen Snr told Racexpress: “It’s madness to say that GT3 is a better race than Formula 1. It used to be the other way round.
“All those GT3 lads were desperate to get a taste of what it’s like in Formula 1, but these days that’s hard to come by.
“As a driver, I find it [2026 rules] less enjoyable too. Every now and then,I’m watching and I switch the TV off because I’m less interested. It’s not the Formula 1 that Formula 1 stands for.
“The driver has to rely heavily on the car and can no longer make a difference as a driver. I think that’s a shame in Formula 1. Look, you have to brake late, but you can’t brake too late either. Yet in fast corners, you really need to be able to make a difference, like in the first sector in Japan.
“You just can’t do that with this car and certainly not with that battery that you have to keep recharging.”
F1 next races at the Miami Grand Prix (1-3 May) this weekend.
