Jos Verstappen has gotten himself in trouble with the Dutch authorities on multiple occasions. In 1998, the Dutchman was imprisoned for 5 years after he and his father got into a brawl at a karting track.
They were found guilty in a court of assault after the man suffered a fractured skull due to the altercation. The former F1 driver was also found guilty of threatening Max Verstappen’s mother.
Verstappen and his wife separated in 2008. However, he was found guilty of threatening the 2x champion’s mother and violating a previously issued restraining order.
He escaped jail time by paying a fine and serving 3 months of probation. However, a few years later, he was again charged with a serious felony that could have ruined his talented son’s racing ambitions.
Why was Verstappen arrested in 2012?
Jos Verstappen has been on the wrong side of the law numerous times. But in 2008, the 2-time Champions father found himself in serious trouble.
In 2012, Verstappen senior drove a car into his ex-wife, Kelly van der Waal, who during the incident was his girlfriend, after a heated argument. The then 39-year-old was arrested for an attempt to murder. He managed to flee the scene. However, his ex-girlfriend suffered heavy bruises due to the accident.
However, charges against the Dutchman were dropped, allowing him to be released after 2-weeks of jail time. Van Der Waal and Verstappen reconciled and got married in 2014. The couple separated in 2017 and have one daughter together.
At the time, he managed his son Max Verstappen’s karting career. The Dutchman revealed that his son’s visit to the jail made him question his actions and change himself.
Was Jos Verstappen abusive to his son Max?
Max Verstappen has often quoted his father to be a very strict teacher. His father managed the youngster’s karting carer, but he was not someone to be kind to his son’s mistakes.
Verstappen has struck his son for his mistakes on track. Famously, the Dutchman abandoned his son at a petrol station for an on-track mistake. His son waited at the place until his mother, Sophie Kumpen, came to pick him up.
Many deem the actions of the 2x champion’s father to be abusive. However, Verstappen denies so, Saying, “There are people who say I’m a bad father because I abused my child, but I never abused him!”
He added, “I raised him, I was hard on him. That was my plan. Many people cannot imagine what it takes to reach the absolute top level of a sport.”
Verstappen had an unsatisfactory record in F1. He never secured a win and achieved only two podiums throughout his 107 race starts in the sport. The Dutchman claims he taught his 2x champion son the hard way due to his shortcomings in the sport.
