Max Verstappen challenged by his dad over shock racing switch: 'He just needs to try it once'

Max Verstappen's future is the subject of frenzied speculation right now, and his father Jos believes it is time for the four-time F1 world champion to try his hand at rallying.

The 28-year-old Red Bull superstar is currently disgruntled with both the trajectory of the sport (he hates those new regulations, if you didn't know) and the trajectory of his own team (he currently sits 9th in the world championship standings).

Last week it was confirmed that Max's closest ally - racing engineer Gianpiero Lambiase - is leaving for McLaren. The latest in a long line of key departure from the previously all-conquering team.

So what next for Verstappen? Well we know he is massively enjoying GT3 action right now and he will again be in action at the Nurburgring this weekend. But how about rallying?

Max recently argued that the sport’s risks are too high, explaining: "If I make a mistake and hit a tree, that tree won’t give way. For me, that risk is too great".

His 54-year-old dad Jos - himself now an accomplished rally driver - disagrees.

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Jos Verstappen on Max and rallying

Jos, who recently finished in second place at the TAC Rally in Tielt, Belgium, in April 2026, spoke about his son's concerns, and why he believes they are misplaced.

"Max always talks about trees and the like, but at a certain point, you stop really seeing them. You know they’re there, you account for them, but you just don’t focus on them," he told FORMULE 1 Magazine.

Time for Max to follow in his dad's footsteps (again)

To drive his point home, Jos made a pointed, sarcastic remark about Max’s track plans and challenged him to experience driving a modern rally car.

"Racing on the Nürburgring in a GT3 is practically risk-free, if you ask me," he remarked, dismissing those safety concerns.

"Just take a spin in one, Max, and then we’ll see if you still feel the same way."

READ MORE: McLaren F1 chief 'signs pre-contract with Ferrari' ahead of Lambiase transfer

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