At the age of 49, Max Verstappen’s father, a former Formula One driver, will compete in the first round of the 2022 Belgian Rally Championship, driving a Citroen.
Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen’s father, will return to professional racing in 2022, when he drives a Citroen C3 R5 at the Rally of Haspengouw on February 26.
Jos’s enthusiasm in rallying has grown over time, according to Max Verstappen’s official website, and the 49-year-old was scheduled to make his rally debut at Assen last year, but the race was canceled due to the pandemic.
“I am really looking forward to it and I have noticed that I really like rallying, especially because it’s very unpredictable,” Jos was quoted as saying by Verstappen.com.
“Of course, I am very driven by nature and I have the support of a top team, but I will have to find my own limits again.
“I want to get it right, but the reason I am stepping into this rally adventure is that it brings me joy.”
F1 and beyond
Between 1994 and 2003, Verstappen senior raced in 106 Formula One Grands Prix with seven different teams, most notably with Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1994, when the German won the first of his seven World Championship titles.
Verstappen moved to sports cars after F1, winning class wins in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the overall Le Mans Series championship in 2008.
Jos has spent the most of his time since 2009 managing and directing his son Max’s racing career, and the Dutchman is fully aware of the size of the task before of him when he returns to competitive motorsport.
“Rally driving is really done on experience. Gaining this experience will be the biggest challenge,” he added.
“This not comparable to anything from my motorsport career; for me, everything is new, from the car to the method of working, creating and using pace notes, listening to instructions whilst driving and getting to know all the stages.
“There is no or very little opportunity to explore the circuit, so you have to be up to speed right away, whilst on the other hand avoiding unnecessary risks.”
Jos is expected to compete in a variety of rallies from both the BRC and the worldwide World Rally Championship in 2022.
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