Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen reveals the F1 champion was ‘very motivated’ from negative British journalists

Jos Verstappen stated that Max Verstappen drew motivation from the criticism and bias of the British media to win the Brazilian GP.

Max Verstappen often clashed with the British media, accusing them of biased criticism toward him. His victory in Brazil was a direct response to these critics, showcasing his strength under pressure. His father Jos Verstappen believes this criticism motivated him to prove his dominance and competitiveness in Formula 1.

The British media often showed bias when covering Max Verstappen‘s battles with Lando Norris. They tended to describe the Dutchman’s aggressive driving as too extreme or too dangerous while overlooking anything wrong Norris does on the track.

A clear example of that came recently. During the race in Austin, Norris received a five-second penalty for going beyond track limits and gaining an unfair advantage. However, when Max did the same in Mexico, he was handed a 10-second penalty.

Max’s recent victory in Brazil, when starting from almost the back of the grid, showed exactly his strong credentials. Jos Verstappen explained that British journalists and drivers motivated Max by constantly making decisions against him.

He showed today who the best is. And I also believe that he was very motivated after the negative journalists from England and the negative drivers. Max only gets better through all of the criticism we have known for a long time how strong he is in such conditions.

During the Brazilian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon clashed at Turn 1, though things went smoothly unlike their collision in 2018. The Red Bull driver passed the Alpine driver without any contact, taking the lead in the race and later the win.

In the post-race interview, Verstappen stated while overtaking was a bit tricky due to the new asphalt, he had to take the chance to solidify his position. He mentioned that the turn 1 at the Interlagos was a perfect spot to do so. Thankfully, Ocon didn’t put up much fight and allowed Verstappen to take control of the race without trouble.

I had a lot of confidence in the brakes. That helps, I had already overtaken a few people. And Turn 1 is a good overtaking spot. The inclination of the curves is a bit in your favor. Esteban didn’t make it too difficult for me and pulled back in behind me.

With three races and one sprint event still left, the drivers’ championship is far from decided. Red Bull and Verstappen were thrilled to bring home a victory after a five-month barren run. They will now look to build on this and end the season on a high.

Gaurang Kadam is a Formula 1 author at Firstsportz. He discovered his passion for the sport during the Covid-19 pandemic right before the historic battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for the 2021 title. Gaurang has published hundreds of F1 articles as he channels his passion for the sport. He completed his Bachelor’s in Commerce from Joshi Bedekar College. Apart from the world of racing, Gaurang has loved Football since he was 14 and looks up to Christiano Ronaldo as his idol