Max Verstappen has said that the "roles are reversed" between himself and his father, Jos. Verstappen Senior is a former Formula 1 driver, who raced during the 1990s and early 2000s with a sequence of less-than-competitive teams, although did get a subdued year alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1994. After retirement from F1, Jos focused on helping Max become a strong racing driver in his own right, and has been part of Verstappen's core group on his rise into F1 and Red Bull. With Verstappen's F1 career flourishing and him becoming the 2021 World Champion, Jos has dipped a toe back into the world of competitive motorsport in the past 12 months. Signing up to take part in some national and international rallying events, Verstappen's participation means that Max is now in the unique position of being able to offer his father advice – a reverse of the scenario over the past two decades. "Age is just a number and he's still having a great time," Verstappen said of Jos, who recently turned 50 years old. "Rally is now a new hobby for him and it's important for him to enjoy it and be able to put his energy and passion into it. "He doesn't need to win, but he's still driven to do the best job he can. It's great to see that."
Verstappen: I enjoy following my dad's progress
Verstappen went on to explain that he enjoys being able to share a racing hobby with his father. "I enjoy following his progress and that we can chat about it," he said. "And it's not just the rally stuff, but also when we do some private testing on a circuit. We really enjoy it and are able to give each other advice on how to go faster. "Obviously, the roles have changed somewhat with me usually giving him advice!" But the reigning F1 champion ruled out any chance that he might be tempted to follow in his father's footsteps again in the future. "I drove my dad's rally car twice," he commented. "That was a lot of fun, but I don't need to compete. I'll leave the stage racing to him."
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