Jos Verstappen thought 'oh no' after Max accused Ferrari of cheating

Jos Verstappen believes his son Max Verstappen accusing Ferrari of cheating following the United States Grand Prix wasn’t the “smartest” thing to do, but can understand the frustrations of the Red Bull man.

The Scuderia underperformed at the Circuit of the Americas, with Sebastian Vettel not finishing and Charles Leclerc only managing fourth, and Verstappen believes their results came from the fact they were no longer breaking regulations.

The FIA released a statement on the day of qualifying this weekend that outlined a potential loophole in their fuel flow regulations, and it was after this announcement that Ferrari performed poorly, leading Verstappen to make a connection between the two.

His father, though, doesn’t think it was the correct decision to air his thoughts.

"I saw it and thought: 'Oh no!" Jos told Ziggo Sport.

100 races for Max Verstappen: How does he compare to Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso and Schumacher?Read more

"It might not have been the smartest statement, but I do understand Max, because he is very driven and wants to win.

"After the summer break he had a zero percent chance against Ferrari and this weekend there was no difference.

"I think everyone knows that Ferrari used a loophole. It explains why sometimes they are suddenly extremely fast on the straight. It perhaps isn't cheating, but morally it isn't quite right.

"I'm glad there is clarity now, because everyone was wondering what Ferrari was doing."

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto strongly denied the claims of cheating, saying Verstappen’s accusations were “completely wrong”.

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

Red Bull hit by another major exit as key Verstappen ally quits struggling F1 team

• 10 minutes ago

F1 Penalty Points: Ollie Bearman closest to race ban after Japanese GP

• 2 hours ago

F1 Penalty Points 2026: Which stars risk race ban after Japanese Grand Prix?

• Today 13:17

Toto Wolff reacts to Mercedes F1 reshuffle: 'You realise someone is more clever than you'

• Today 12:58

Max Verstappen knew these new F1 regulations would be bad, he told everybody three years ago

• Today 11:55

Rattled George Russell is being schooled by rivals and his F1 title dream is already fracturing

• Today 10:57