Jos Verstappen opens door for new Max venture

Jos Verstappen has not ruled out competing with his son Max in some form of motorsport but it appears the four-time F1 drivers' champion will have to fight on his father's turf.

The Red Bull driver has mentioned in the past how much he would like to compete alongside his dad in endurance racing, with a particular eye on the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

However, the elder Verstappen has rebuffed the approaches, stating he has no interest in joining the 27-year-old and Fernando Alonso to form a driver trio.

Instead, his focus lies on rallying, something he would welcome his son doing in the future. However, Verstappen, who raced in F1 from 1994 to 2001, is unsure if the 63-time grand prix winner is "interested" at the moment.

Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf about how busy his new discipline of motorsport is keeping him, the 52-year-old said: "We end up with about 18 or 19 races.

"Yes, I'm away from home a lot. Ten years ago I didn't think I would be doing so many rallies. But I just need this, I enjoy it enormously."

When asked about the possibility of competing alongside his son, he added: "No, not at the moment. I don't think he's interested right now either. But I'm sure if he's going to do this, he's sold."

Rally championship aspirations

Things are developing nicely on the rally scene for Verstappen Sr., who recently won the Rally of Haspengouw, in Belgium, by 52 seconds.

"Yes, it's going well," he recounted. "Of course, I only started a few years ago and didn't expect to be able to compete at the front so quickly."

It has led to championship aspirations, something he did not envisage when he took it up as a hobby.

"If I had still been driving around fifth, sixth place now, I would have kept on hobbying," he said. "But this year it's more than a hobby. The goal is to win this championship."