Jos Verstappen left 'fuming' after Sky Sports F1 interview

Jos Verstappen, Nico Rosberg, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

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Jos Verstappen left 'fuming' after Sky Sports F1 interview

The father of reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen was caught in an awkward exchange in Spa

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 31 July 2025 10:56

Jos Verstappen, the father of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, was left seething after an awkward interview on Sky Sports F1 last weekend, according to Dutch racer Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Verstappen Sr was present on the track in Spa ahead of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix when he was approached by Sky F1 pundit and ex-Mercedes star Nico Rosberg during his gridwalk with Martin Brundle.

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The 2016 world champion boldly pushed Verstappen Sr on his previous comments urging Christian Horner to leave Red Bull last season, but the Dutchman brushed off the question, claiming: "that was a year ago so, it's different, I have nothing to say."

Now that Horner has been sacked from his role as Red Bull F1 principal, rumours have continued to swirl over whether the Verstappen camp were involved in his exit, although Helmut Marko claimed neither Max nor Jos had anything to do with the shock decision.

Despite Verstappen Sr's indifferent attitude to Rosberg's questions, racing analyst Bleekemolen has assessed the interaction via the NOS Formula 1 podcast, saying: "If you watch the video footage, you can see that Jos is really angry.

"You can see it in his body posture, he is completely alive. I know him well. He still kept himself clean. This was Rosberg asking that."

Bleekemolen, son of ex-F1 driver Michael Bleekemolen, went on to state that the relationship between the Verstappens and Rosberg was not ideal even before this tense exchange happened in Spa.

"He [Verstappen Sr] actually almost wanted to give him a slap and say, 'Will you shut up!' But he stayed clean and said the right thing. We don't know exactly either, but that they played a role somewhere? Yes, I think so," Bleekemolen concluded.

Jos Verstappen did not take well to questions about Christian Horner in Spa

Rosberg reacts to tense Verstappen moment

Rosberg himself addressed the incident in the Sky F1 show following the Belgian GP, addressing a flurry of comments from fans who suggested the former Mercedes star should appear alongside Brundle for the infamous gridwalks more frequently.

The German racer received high praise via social media for his line of questioning to Verstappen Sr, with Rosberg's direct approach certainly proving popular.

The 40-year-old responded to the clip of his interview going viral, saying: "It's nice to see that people appreciated our entertainment, which is what it's all about isn't it, the whole sport that's what it's built on.

"Not that I do that on purpose, I just try and ask the questions that may be of interest," he admitted.

Rosberg and Sky F1 presenter Simon Lazenby then continued their conversation around Horner's exit, agreeing with Marko that the decision to sack their ex-team principal was not to do with the Verstappens.

"I don't think it was the Verstappen camp being involved there in the Horner exit. It just felt to me that Red Bull came to the conclusion that under Horner, too many talents were leaving the team," Rosberg declared.

"It seemed to be that you had this negative spiral that was kicking off at Red Bull in the last one and a half years and that's why the time has come for a new era for Red Bull to reset and rebuild again, I think that's just a decision that they made."

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Helmut Marko Martin Brundle Sky Sports F1