Max Verstappen’s father Jos was visibly proud as his son absolutely dominated the 2022 F1 Dutch Grand Prix last week. The 50-year-old had to undergo a negative COVID test earlier to attend the race at Zandvoort.
This is Jos Verstappen being super happy, because his son won his home race.
#DutchGP https://t.co/BLaX1DD46w
Lewis Hamilton, who was close to winning his first race of the 2022 F1 season, lost out owing to a strategic mistake from Mercedes. The senior Verstappen was quick to point out this mistake and mocked the Silver Arrows, saying they had learned nothing from past experiences. Speaking about the weekend at his home, Jos said:
“It was super exciting, but Red Bull was back on top of it. And Max tried all the tires and indicated which rubber would work best. Mercedes also went well, they definitely had a chance to win. But fortunately, it worked out well for us. And you would say Mercedes learned from last year’s last race in Abu Dhabi, but apparently not.”
The race had an interesting turn of events with Yuki Tsunoda’s issues, which deployed the Virtual Safety Car, under which some drivers chose to pit. Hamilton and George Russell took on the medium tires, with the former leading the race, virtually signaling Mercedes’ first win of the season.
Soon enough, however, former Mercedes man Valtteri Bottas retired on the main straight, which triggered the Full Safety Car. The ensuing period saw all drivers other than Hamilton and Sergio Perez pit for soft tires. The corresponding scenario was much similar to the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP, where the Briton lost the title to Max Verstappen following a similar pit strategy. The Dutchman quickly got on Hamilton’s tail on fresh soft tires during the restart and overtook him without any trouble.
Max Verstappen’s father delighted to see him win at his home race
The 2022 F1 Dutch GP had a lot of ups and downs, but Jos Verstappen claimed to be more than happy to see his son Max win the race and extend his lead in the drivers’ standings. He also noted Mercedes’ resurgence and felt they had a chance to win if it was not for fortune favoring the reigning world champion.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen had a special helmet to honor his father during the race. Claiming that he was glad to see it, Jos said:
“I did see it afterwards and I received the photos from Frits (van Eldik, F1 photographer). I know Max is very grateful for what happened in the past and how hard we fought for it.”
Max Verstappen currently dominates the grid with 310 points scored through 10 victories so far this season. The path to his second F1 title looks rather clear, earning it by the 2022 F1 Japanese GP in all probability. This would only happen, however, if he managed to be ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez by three points in every race until then.
What’s your favorite race of the 2022 season so far? Tell us in the comments below..
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