Oct.17 (GMM) Max Verstappen has joked that if his father Jos were running McLaren, the team’s tense rivalry between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris would be handled very differently.
Speaking to Dutch media in Austin, Verstappen – now chasing the two McLarens in the championship fight – said his father’s no-nonsense approach would leave little room for internal politics.
“I think he would be a very good team principal,” Max laughed. “He can be a bit of a hothead sometimes, but I think a lot of people would benefit from a kick in the ass – figuratively speaking, you know.
“My father would fit right in in Formula 1, 100 percent. Only he doesn’t want that – you’re away from home so much. He’s done that once already, and with the family at home, it’s just not feasible.”
Asked how Jos would manage the situation at McLaren following the Singapore clash between Norris and Piastri, Verstappen quipped: “I know exactly how my father is – there wouldn’t be any rules.
“Just step on the gas.”
The Dutchman’s comments come amid growing tension inside McLaren after Norris’s aggressive move on Piastri in Singapore caused contact and internal fallout. Norris admitted in Austin there had been “repercussions for myself,” though insisted the team’s approach to racing “is the same as it’s always been.”
Piastri, who still leads the world championship, said the incident “wasn’t how we want to go racing as a team,” adding that it had been addressed internally. “Lando has taken responsibility for that. It’s been dealt with, and now we’re looking forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung that more friction at McLaren could help Verstappen’s late title charge. “I don’t think we can do it on our own,” Marko said.
“If the McLaren drivers continue to disagree and there are further incidents, it’s not impossible. As long as it’s mathematically possible, we’ll definitely fight.”
As for whether McLaren now favours Norris over Piastri, Verstappen said he wasn’t sure. “I find it difficult to assess whether a particular driver is being favoured or not,” he said. “I don’t know what’s being said behind closed doors, but if you leave the door open a little, like in Singapore, you get these kinds of situations.
“McLaren has also brought this on themselves by trying to treat both drivers equally.”
According to the reigning quadruple world champion, “equal treatment is difficult to orchestrate.”
“A championship is never completely fair,” Verstappen said. “Sometimes you have a bad pitstop, sometimes an engine breaks down. You can hardly balance that out – and that sometimes leads to some unequal treatment.”
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