F1 | Jos Verstappen clarifies the story of the episode at the petrol station

F1 Verstappen – Jos Verstappen has decided to clarify a story that has fueled discussions for years: the time he allegedly abandoned his son Max at a service station after a heated argument. The story returned to the forefront in 2022, when the Dutch driver confirmed some details in an interview.

Jos Verstappen and the petrol pump episode

Max told ESPN that the episode was linked to a mistake he made in a go-kart race, a moment that had deeply affected him: “I had thrown everything to the wind. I was very sad and angry with myself for that mistake. We had been on the road for 17 hours. I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t want to. At a certain point he got impatient and said to me, 'Get off.' He stopped at the gas station and made me get off, then he drove off again.”

Jos gave a different version of events: “I think it’s time to clear this story up. I didn’t leave him there. I just stopped talking to him for a week. Was it too hard? Not for Max. He thinks that my way of doing things has prepared him better for Formula 1. That’s why dealing with people like Marko, who is known for his severity, has never bothered him.”

The feeling with Max

The former driver also highlighted Max's appreciation for the training methods he adopted during his years in karting: "He is grateful for the wet training with dry tires. When we talk about his childhood, I only hear gratitude." Jos' story thus gives a complex image of their relationship, made of severity, but also of shared goals.