Exclusive: Jos Verstappen wishes Max a happy anniversary of the 2021 Abu Dhabi race “heart attack”

After Max won his first title in the contentious Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021, Jos Verstappen has thought back on his amazing year leading Formula 1.

Verstappen junior recently won his third straight Formula 1 championship; this victory came about in a far less stressful manner than the difficult and stressful conditions that preceded his stunning victory in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Verstappen’s father Jos gave an insight into his son’s rise from mere challenger to the crown held by Lewis Hamilton to the king himself after 19 victories in the most dominant performance a driver has ever made in Formula One.

Jos Verstappen: I can imagine how Mercedes felt that day

Sitting down with Jos Verstappen outside the Red Bull hospitality in the Abu Dhabi paddock, I realized that in the two years since Max turned up for that historic weekend at Yas Marina, the F1 hierarchy had completely shifted. That weekend reversed the expectations of Verstappen as the fast, aggressive, but rough-around-the-edges driver who had so greatly irritated the more seasoned drivers in previous years.

By the end of 2023, Verstappen has polished his raw potential into measurable speed and consistency, shedding the roughness. The Dutch driver has only missed the podium three times since the 2022 British Grand Prix, when damage to his RB18 caused it to become unusable, going into Abu Dhabi ’23.

It’s been an incredibly impressive run of form. Red Bull has not only provided Verstappen with a competitive car, but has also elevated the bar for what a dominant driver and car combination can accomplish by honing his once-precocious talent into a metronomic top-level performance.

Jos Verstappen, who gained notoriety for his uncompromising methods of developing his son’s skills in motorsports and sharing his own F1 career knowledge, offered his observations on how his son’s career has developed to the point where he is now in the same discourse as legendary drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.

“Fantastic race!” interrupts Verstappen senior as he is being questioned about the highly dramatic race that took place at Yas Marina in 2021. He is grinning.

When asked if, considering how difficult it was to cover even as a journalist, he might have had a heart attack that day, he responds, “I kind of had! Ultimately, I can understand Mercedes’s feelings, but that doesn’t matter because we weren’t involved in the decision-making process.

“For the fans of Formula 1 and, of course, speaking as Max’s Dad, it couldn’t been better. It was so exciting until the last moment. Of course, for us, the outcome was nice. I can imagine, for Lewis and Toto, it’s not as nice. But that’s how it is, you know, you have to accept it.”

In contrast to 2021, which was an unrelenting and constant grind of having to be razor-sharp to compete against the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton juggernaut, Verstappen has settled into a role of total control in the two years that have passed.

Has Max’s mindset, self-assurance, or maturity changed in any way that Jos has noticed to get his competitiveness back on track?

“It’s not so much that he is more confident,” Jos says.

“I think, now, we have a more competitive car. That makes a difference. In 2021, I think in the last couple of races Mercedes was above us. We were still competing with a slower car against a faster one. Now, I think we have the edge over everybody else. That’s the difference.”

What have been Jos’s favorite moments of the season, since it’s much easier to focus on the few and far between instances this year where Verstappen hasn’t won?

“Well, I don’t think you can go back to one race or whatever,” he answers.

“For me, that he is, in every race, on a high level… that’s, to me, so important and nice to see.

“As well, after a race, he can really switch off. He can really focus on other things and, sometimes, I want to talk to him about something, and he’ll say ‘Please, not about Formula 1’.

“He just wants to relax at home and not talk about that.”

Did he ever, as a father, imagine this kind of performance out of the cheeky chappy he was rearing through karting? As Michael Schumacher’s contemporary and former teammate, it must be incredible to watch his son be able to seriously consider breaking those once-unthinkable records.

“I dreamed of this, of course, but to achieve what he’s doing at the moment, his level, it’s very impressive,” Jos says.

“I know he was good from the beginning onwards, but he’s exceeded that.

“I think the cars are more level [nowadays]. I mean, when you see the McLaren when Senna was driving that won 15 out of 16 races, I think they were one second faster than anybody else at the time.

“Now, of course, we are fast, but Ferrari, maybe sometimes McLaren, they are there as well. I think, to achieve what he does, on that level – because everything is about details to make it happen – I mean, he has to be focused every time again.”

Is Max going to take a month or two off before resuming up where he left off when F1 2024 kicks out in Bahrain, given that the regulations remain the same? Should we all be running for our lives?

“He has faith in the team and what they come up with,” Jos replies, revealing that he hopes to see his son have much more competition – while keeping up the wins.

“I would like to have more competition. Of course, we want to win the races but I also like him fighting and then running away with a win, or maybe just not. I think everybody wants to see that.