Max Verstappen opens up on father Jos' reaction to rocky Red Bull start

Max Verstappen has revealed that his father Jos found the opening months of Red Bull's 2026 campaign just as difficult to watch as he found the RB22 to drive, after a dominant win in the Bahrain GP in Malaysia capped a dramatic turnaround for the team.

Verstappen controlled Sunday's race from start to finish at Sepang for his first win of the season, and 72nd of his career, giving Red Bull-Ford Powertrains its maiden success after forming its partnership.

It was a far cry from the early rounds of the season, when Verstappen's car was blighted by entry instability, mid-corner understeer and a downforce deficit that chewed through the tyres.

The handling problems left the Dutchman fighting a car that offered little steering feedback through corner entry and exit, with the new power unit seemingly compounding the balance issues.

Red Bull responded with mechanical fixes before the summer break and followed up with aerodynamic updates at Miami and Austria, before a major Baku development package addressed the remaining speed deficit through medium and high-speed corners.

Jos Verstappen, who guided his son through karting and into Formula 1, remains a regular presence in the paddock despite stepping back from day-to-day involvement.

But that closeness, built over years of working together towards the same goal, means the elder Verstappen feels every high and low of the campaign almost as intensely as his son.

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Max Verstappen - 'We understand each other well'

Speaking to the media, including RacingNews365, after the Bahrain win, Verstappen reflected on how the struggles of the early season affected them both.

"We're all very much invested in it," said Verstappen.

"And, of course, my relationship with my dad, we really understand each other well from all the years that we have spent together working towards our goal in Formula 1.

"He's still there in the background. He's not coming to every race, but when he is there, we talk a lot about everything. He knows everything.

"And for him, I guess the beginning of the season was not nice to watch, as for me being in the car was not nice to drive."

Reflecting on the team overall and how it has performed en route to finally breaking its victory duck this season, Verstappen said: "But then seeing how the team progressed, never stopped working and really took the car and just tried to fix the issues that we had, and then deliver something like this, it's amazing.

"And the people involved, honestly, the spirit in the team is very good. Everyone is on the same line and we really understand each other well.

"So it's very enjoyable to work in the team and that's why I think everyone is super happy that we finally delivered a result like this."