He owes that Belgian side to Max Verstappen‘s passport to his Belgian mother, Jos Verstappen is annoyed by the Belgian media: “Suddenly they think Max is Belgian””>Sophie Kumpen. Father Jos Verstappen is Dutch, and after the divorce of his parents, Max spent most of his time with his father. He therefore feels more Dutch than Belgian, and until recently was mainly praised by our northern neighbors.
Now that Verstappen has won the world title in Formula 1, father Jos sees a striking evolution at De Telegraaf. “Everyone wants a piece of Max right now. On the one hand, that’s a nice compliment for him. He is doing incredibly well. In the car, but also outside. I understand that many people are proud. Of course I am, but on some points I have trouble with it.”
Jos accuses the Belgian media of opportunism. “For example, in the eyes of some Belgian media, Max is suddenly Belgian. I think that’s pretty weak. We’ve been racing for years, but until a few months ago little or nothing was written about him in Belgium and now they suddenly claim he is theirs. I don’t see it that way at all.”
