Max Verstappen feels father Jos is 'crazy' to be debuting in a WRC event after F1 retirement

Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen is set to make his World Rally Championship debut this year. He will be driving at Ypres Rally in Belgium in a Rally2 Citreon C3.

Meanwhile, Verstappen Sr. admitted that while his son enjoys and is keenly interested in rallying, the reigning world champion thinks his father is absolutely crazy for taking on this challenge.

As reported by Motorsport, the 50-year-old said:

“He thinks I’m crazy. But he understands and he enjoys it. I have him on the phone every day. He likes it and he enjoys it as long as I have fun. It is excitement at every stage, when you do a Formula 1 race you have that excitement before the race and then you have the start and that starts the adrenaline. But here in rally, you have this eight times a day. Then it is so exciting because you don’t know the circuit and you have to listen, and this makes it exciting.”

Speaking about his "main goal" at the four-day event, Jos Verstappen said:

“To finish, this is the main goal. It is a long [event] but it is going for the whole week, but physically it shouldn’t be a problem. I will have to stay calm and try to finish it as there are a lot of stages but it is good, that is why I’m here. You have to take your time, of course you want to go on the limit with the cars but you have to adapt to what is coming. Nobody knows how the track will be after 30 cars have been through.”

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Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo judge 2022 F1 regulations

Former Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo gave their respective verdicts on the new 2022 F1 regulations. Both drivers confessed that while closer wheel-to-wheel racing and overtaking are frequent at the moment, this may not be the case on all circuits.

As quoted by F1, the Dutchman said:

“I think following has been quite a bit better, so that’s positive. It’s difficult to expect really how much better it would be, but for me at least, you have a better chance of racing. But then again, on some tracks, it’s still very hard to follow. But that’s also in combination with tyres overheating and stuff. So, there are a few things to look at.”

Meanwhile, Ricciardo said:

“It’s fun. Obviously, when it’s tight it is fun, of course. It’d be more fun fighting for the wins, and the podiums, but the battles we’re having are good. The unpredictability obviously is not fun when you’re on the other end, but it keeps it fresh, and it’s cool when you get out on top.”

Max Verstappen currently leads the world championship with a whopping 80-point advantage over Charles Leclerc, while Daniel Ricciardo stands twelfth in the drivers' standings.