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F1 fans were left impressed after Red Bull driver Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen claimed victory in the ERC Masters category in South of Spain on Sunday, April 6. It was a day of celebration for the Verstappen family as not just the 53-year-old but the Red Bull driver won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Heading into the day, the two Verstappens faced an uphill task with Max having to keep the McLaren pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind him in his pursuit of winning his first race of the season, while Jos Verstappen tried to make up some ground in the rally in Spain after qualifying in P15.
The former Benetton driver had a great couple of stints in the closing stages of the rally, which meant he and his co-driver Renaud Jamoul finished in overall P14 but won the Masters category.
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In his post-rally interview, Max Verstappen's father reflected on his performance and said (Verstappen.com):
“We’ll do everything we can to keep improving. We’re planning more testing sessions to prepare for the gravel rally in Hungary. It’s a steep learning curve, but that’s exactly why we’re here.”
F1 fans reacted to Max Verstappen's father's victory in the Masters category in the ERC on X (formerly Twitter), with one fan writing:
"Good for Jos to finally win at something."
"He’s actually doing very good with Renaud. And new in the ERC. So respect," another fan added.
"He also won at creating a generational talent," a fan said .
Here are some more fans reacting to Jos Verstappen's victory:
"You know Jos won Le Mans in the LMP2 class and a lot in Junior racing? Put that dragon of a Benetton on a podium in his first season, a good driver, big talent, hot head," a fan pointed out.
"TU TU TU JOS VERSTAPPEN," wrote another.
"Jos Verstappen vs Carlos Sainz sr epic battle will gonna be legendary," a fan opined.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen also reacted to the footage of his father's rally races.
Max Verstappen comments on his father's racing exploits
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen cheekily said that he believed his father Jos Verstappen was "completely crazy" for his rallying exploits at his age. Nonetheless, the four-time F1 champion found his father's commitment to racing "impressive".
Speaking with ViaPlay, Max addressed his father's rallying clips and said (via GPBlog):
"Yes, he naturally sends it to me as well. I say: ‘You are completely crazy’'. I think it's impressive what he's doing. I would not do it myself, but he's doing it very well.’'
Max Verstappen has also expressed his interest in other racing categories as well and reiterated on several occasions that he would like to compete in Endurance Racing after hanging his gloves at the pinnacle of motorsport.
The Dutchman has already competed in multiple virtual endurance races and even won several times with his Team Redline.
