Jos Verstappen’s preparations for a rally race in Spain later this month took a hit this week as the Dutchman crashed his car into metal barriers, destroying the front of his vehicle in the process. Max Verstappen may be stealing the headlines in the family household having recently clinched his third consecutive F1 world title, but his father has been actively racing also.
Since leaving F1 in 2003, Verstappen Snr has taken part in several rally events and made his World Rally Championship debut last year. He’s now moved his focus to the Spanish Rally Super Championship in Alicante, where he was getting to grips with the route during a practice session.
But the 51-year-old suffered a setback in his preparations for the event after wrecking his car in the barriers. Verstappen was being filmed coming around a right-hand bend and seemingly missed his breaking point as he locked up and slid head-on into the barriers.
The Dutchman was able to get out of the car unaided and his co-driver Renaud Jamoul confirmed both were not injured in the incident. But Verstappen’s car was badly damaged from the crash with the front end completely buckled in.
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The barriers did their job though as Verstappen avoided a potentially scary drop off the side of the road. His team will now have a short time to get the car fully repaired in time for the first stage of the event on November 2.
Verstappen’s involvement in the Spanish Rally Super Championship likely means he will not be present in Brazil for this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix. His son broke the record for most race wins in a single season with his Mexican Grand Prix victory being his 16th of the year.
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But the Red Bull driver hasn’t had much luck in Brazil with his only win there coming back in 2019. Last year saw Verstappen tangle with rival Lewis Hamilton, which cost both drivers the chance of winning.
The 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix also saw Verstappen embroiled in a bitter row with Red Bull and Sergio Perez after ignoring team orders to let the Mexican back past in a bid to help his chances of finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship. Verstappen will be hoping to avoid any such drama this time around, but Perez may need his team-mate to help him once more in the race to finish runner-up.
Hamilton’s second-place finish in Mexico as well as Perez’s retirement means the latter’s lead has been cut to just 20 points with three races remaining.
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