Max Verstappen will never make the switch to rallying. He admires his father Jos Verstappen’s career, but considers the risk too great for himself. “If I make a mistake and I hit a tree, that tree doesn’t give. The risk is simply too big,” the four-time world champion explained on the podcast Up To Speed.
Jos Verstappen is actively competing in rallying and his son has a lot of respect for that. “He’s now almost 54 years old and races against drivers in their late twenties, early thirties. In some championships he just beats them outright — I find that really impressive. If you do it for a few years, you naturally get better at it,” the Dutchman said. Still, he doesn’t see himself fighting for rally championships.
‘It’s too big a risk’
The champion has previously said he wants to try other motorsport disciplines alongside Formula 1. Think the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I like racing against my dad. Honestly, he’s really very good. He loves it and it’s very hard to beat him. But on a proper stage, when he shows me all the videos, I find that really impressive. Only I think: if I make a mistake and I hit that tree, that tree doesn’t give. That’s my limit. It’s just too big a risk,” Verstappen concluded.
According to the Red Bull driver, Formula 1 is considerably safer than rallying: the barriers are purpose-built to absorb a crash. “I know it might sound strange, but in Formula 1 when you crash — usually — there’s a barrier; a properly designed energy-absorbing barrier that takes the impact better. To me, rallying feels different. It’s a risk I don’t want to take, but it’s still cool to watch,” Verstappen added.
