
Jos Verstappen claims that his son – the title contender Max Verstappen “will do anything” to beat seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in this weekend’s F1 title competition in Abu Dhabi.
Jos make clear his comments that he doesn’t expect a crash but that his son will ‘definitely go for it’.
The Mercedes champ has won the last three races (Brazil, Qatar and Saudi) since changing his power-unit at the Brazil Grand Prix to move level on points with Verstappen ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
Asked whether his son would consider ramming Hamilton off the road, the Dutchman’s father, Jos, a former F1 driver himself, told the Daily Mail: “I don’t think that will happen.
“Max absolutely wants to win. He will definitely go for it. He will clearly try to beat him. He will do everything to get the win, that’s for sure. It will be exciting.”
F1 legends Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher have all went the fine line between strategic and dangerous driving at the season’s peak.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Prost didn’t rule out the possibility. “The situation could arise where the drivers know at one corner or another ‘I will either win or lose the World Championship right here’,” he said.
“It’s already so tense, and the tension has only been rising for some time. So you can’t rule out such a scenario.
“I look at Monza, where if Max hadn’t tried to overtake Lewis he would have lost the race, so do you accept the risk or not?
“It’s not easy in a win or lose situation like this.”
Max is a fighter, he deserves to win this world championship – Red Bull team boss Christian Horner
“You know, you can’t defend against that,” Horner told the F1 Nation podcast. “It’s the most frustrating thing for a driver to be sitting with that kind of deficit.
“That’s what I think has been really frustrating, the last three or four races we have just been watching that dominant straight-line performance, which you can’t do anything about.”
“Max is a fighter and if there’s a driver that deserves to win this world championship, it’s Max Verstappen, because Mercedes have had the better car,” Horner added.
“He has driven outstandingly. Look how close Valtteri [Bottas] has been to Lewis this year. Max has been head and shoulders, for me, the driver of the year.
“He would be very deserving, you know, to win this championship. The way he’s driven this year, the way he’s conducted himself, I think has been outstanding.”