New Red Bull F1 signing says Jos Verstappen is 'a pure thug: Don't f*** around with Jos'

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Red Bull new signing says Jos Verstappen is 'a pure thug: Don't f*** around with Jos'

Max Verstappen's father has a tough reputation

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 26 May 2026 19:55

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Red Bull's newest F1 signing has provided a fascinating insight into his close relationship with the Verstappens, applauding the energy drink giant's star driver Max and labelling his father Jos a 'pure thug.'

Jos Verstappen once raced in F1 himself, enjoying a career that spanned across eight championships between 1994 and 2003 and even saw him land the role of Michael Schumacher's team-mate at Benetton.

The Dutchman's time racing alongside Schumacher at the team run by Flavio Briatore only lasted for one season, but Jos remained close friends with the legendary racer and as a result, so did a young Max.

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It wasn't just the future seven-time champion that Max is lucky enough to call a close family friend thanks to his father's own motorsport career.

Max and Jos Verstappen also share apparent close ties with Ferrari legend Gino Rosato, yet another connection which leads back to Jos' relationship with Schumacher.

Rosato's motorsport career kicked off in 1991 as a part-time logistics worker with the Scuderia before he joined full-time in 1997. He became a vital member of the Maranello-based squad during their golden years and after returning to a management position with Ferrari in 2014, he has now picked up a role as a consultant at Red Bull.

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The signing of Rosato as a consultant is unlikely to be a coincidence given Max's current predicament (Red Bull is struggling and he hates the new 2026 regulations), with more allies something that the Dutchman is in need of at Red Bull as he prepares to lose his closest remaining confidant - race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

Rosato has spoken highly of Max in the past in conversation with the Pitstop podcast, where he also touched upon Jos' attitude to raising a four-time champion.

Rosato on Jos and Max: You put s*** in the garden, the flowers grow

In an episode from last summer, Rosato unpacked his relationship with the father son F1 duo, recalling his impressions of the pair from the start of their friendship.

"I think I remember them more than they remember me when they were young, but Jos is a pure pure thug. Don't f*** around with Jos," he warned.

Having previously mentioned the lack of 'rock and roll' type figures in the modern age of F1, Rosato continued, labelling Jos' no-nonsense attitude as a positive thing which shaped Max into the formidable champion he is today.

"He's a pure guy. He's honest guy. It's old school. And what are you going to tell him? You did bad. You created the biggest beast on the face of Formula 1 or one of them for sure. And we go back to what I was telling you guys. You put s*** in the garden, the flowers grow. And he made a gentleman. He made a great driver but with old work ethics.

"You hear Jos he would leave Max sometimes on the racetrack racing and all that. I think this is what this world has lost a little now. I think when I see people be parents, they're just babying all the time...you want to be the best? This is what it takes. And then not only that, not only did he create this phenomenal driver that giant...but as a person as nice as a father...Max Versappen is an astronaut. You know what that means? I want to be Max Versappen. It's human nature.

"When you're on the top, they're all aiming at you. You did this. They're all looking for their particulars, but let's be honest, after Michael [Schumacher], he's been the best driver, hands down."

Max Verstappen has already enjoyed a much more successful F1 career than his father Jos

Rosato then continued to share his view of the father-son duo, painting a picture of what Max is like when he isn't in his full on, often aggressive racing mode.

"But then you see them off track. I'm not getting paid by anybody to say this, you know, but it is what it is. In 32 years in the business, you've seen them all and some get mixed up. Some, they start going on in all directions. Max, it's pure.

"Max is very extremely similar to Kimi [Raikkonen]. It's a bit more spicy, a bit more open minded than he is. Kimi will suffer in silence while this one will lash out once in a while. I can text Max right now and he's going to answer me back within two minutes. That's the same thing with Jos."

"They're not measuring people on the money you're going to bring me...they're not subconsciously playing the game backwards. They're just generally like that. Just pure nice people doing their job. Great family story with a father helping out a kid, teaching a kid. This is the real world."

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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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