It's rare for the outspoken former F1 driver Jos Verstappen to be left lost for words.
But son Max it appears, knows exactly how to leave his father speechless. Jos, 51, has been an ever present in his son's career, travelling to Grand Prix races with him and taking his place in the Red Bull paddock at venues.
Indeed, his passion - some may even say bias - towards the current world champion was all too apparent in Saudi Arabia this year, when he glumly snubbed Sergio Perez after the Mexican had beaten teammate Max to the chequered flag. Jos started 106 races in his own stint in F1 between 1994 and 2003, but didn't register a win despite twice appearing on the podium.
He was, however, involved in some dramatic incidents, famously having to escape from his car at the German Grand Prix after his Benetton vehicle caught fire. And once during a practice session in France at Magny-Cours, he rammed his car into the pit wall, meaning debris scattered up and destroyed a TV installation.
And Max seemingly referenced the flash points during filming for the Max- Anatomy Of A Champion series episodes currently airing on Tumblr. During a family discussion over dinner, the 25-year-old suggested a new item for the house, quipping: "You could install a bathtub on it. A wide one."
Seemingly poking fun at himself, Verstappen Snr replied: "I already have trouble getting in and out," with Max swfitly offering a brutal retort: "Luckily you've had a lot of practice getting out of cars."
Notoriously stern, Jos was at least able to laugh at the jibe, even if he didn't have an answer to it. But the apparent good humour between the pair is timely after he last week denied accusations that he was overly harsh on Max as a youngster.
"People say I was a bad father who abused my child," Jos was quoted as saying by Swedish outlet Expressen. "I never abused him. I raised him. I was hard on him and that was my plan. Many have no idea what it takes to reach the top in a sport."
Verstappen coached Max from an early age in karting, has previously served as his manager and remains a close advisor to him now. The 25-year-old is undeniably the current leading light in F1, having won world titles in 2021 and 2022, and now hot favourite for a third straight success this season.
