Max Verstappen invited for new career adventure

Jos Verstappen has issued a challenge to his son Max, inviting the four-time world champion to experience rallying first-hand after the Red Bull driver repeatedly described the discipline as dangerous.

The former F1 driver, who has competed in the European Rally Championship since 2025, responded to his son's safety concerns with a pointed reference to Max's own motorsport activities outside Formula 1.

"No, racing in a GT3 at the Nürburgring, that's nice and safe..." Jos said sarcastically in an interview with Formule 1 Magazine. "He should just come and do it once, so here goes Max... [he added, in invitation] And then he'll talk differently about it."

The younger Verstappen has been vocal about his reluctance to pursue rallying, specifically citing the unforgiving nature of the sport's obstacles. Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, he explained his position clearly.

"I just think about if I make a mistake and I hit a tree...the tree is not moving, and that for me is like my limit," the Red Bull driver has said, contrasting rallying with F1, where "most of the time when you crash, there is a properly-designed barrier that should absorb the impact a bit more."

Verstappen Snr. acknowledged that his son's concerns about trees and fixed obstacles are valid, but insisted the reality of rally driving is different from an outsider's perspective.

"He always talks about the trees and so on, but at a certain point you don't see those trees anymore," Jos explained. "You know they're there. You take them into account. But you don't focus on them. However, you know they're there, and that's important."

Experience shapes approach to risk

The 54-year-old emphasised that rallying is not about blind aggression at the limit. Risk management, he stressed, is fundamental to the sport, with pace notes serving as the primary tool for navigating stages safely.

Pace notes provide detailed information about upcoming road features, enabling drivers to anticipate corners, surface changes and hazards before they appear. The system allows rally drivers to navigate unfamiliar roads at extreme speeds whilst managing inherent dangers.

"There are places on a stage where you're a bit more cautious," Jos said. "If there's a dangerous situation, then you're more careful. But you learn all that to incorporate it into your notes."

The two-time F1 podium finisher admitted his current approach to risk management may differ from how he might have tackled rallying in his younger years.

"I do think you take more risks when you're 29 years old," he conceded.

The admission carries particular weight given Jos's own rallying incidents. At the Rally of Scandinavia in May 2025, he rolled his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 whilst leading the Master ERC classification.

He and co-driver Renaud Jamoul escaped unscathed but elected not to restart. He has also crashed at the Ypres Rally and hit a tree stump at approximately 130 kilometres per hour at the Rally of Wervik.

Whether Max will accept his father's invitation to experience a proper rally stage remains uncertain, but Jos has made his position clear. The invitation, as he put it, now stands in black and white.