Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, slams Belgium to make him an icon after reaching the pinnacle of Formula 1 in 2021.
Max Verstappen was born in Belgium and held both Belgian and Dutch citizenship. He competes under the Dutch flag and is hailed as a hero by his nation.
On the other hand, his father claims that Belgium hardly gave him any attention until a few months ago. But now, with him reaching the top of his sport, Jos Verstappen feels the Belgian media is claiming him as his own.
And it apparently annoys the senior Verstappen because up until now, there was no support from the same media. Thus, according to him, it’s just an attempt by the Belgian media to appropriate him.
“Everyone wants a piece of Max at the moment,” says Jos, “On the one hand, it’s a nice compliment for him. He is incredibly good, in the car, but also outside. Since the title he’s been handling it well, keeping his head and being himself. So I understand that many people are proud.”
“Of course I am. But there are times when I have a hard time with that. For example, in the eyes of some Belgian media, Max is suddenly a Belgian!”
“I think that’s a bit disappointing. We’ve been racing for years, but until a few months ago there was little or no writing about him in Belgium and now they’re suddenly claiming he’s theirs. I don’t see it that way at all myself.”
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Max Verstappen is a Dutch first
Verstappen Snr accepts that his son is also a part Belgian because of his mother. However, he claims that his son would be siding with the Netherlands whenever the two nations meet in a football match.
ɴᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴅs 🔥 I’m so happy to win my home Grand Prix and the Orange Army, just incredible 🙌 🧡 It was an amazing team performance, thanks a lot, @redbullracing and @HondaRacingF1 🤘 A day to remember #KeepPushing 🇳🇱 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/WI1gDEkVUI
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 5, 2021
“Max has both nationalities, as Sophie and I were married at the time of his birth. But as he races under a Dutch license, he is slightly more Dutch than Belgian. That’s how he feels himself.”
“If the Netherlands were to play Belgium, he would be in the orange army. And if he had to choose one nationality, it would be the Dutch one,” said Jos Verstappen to the French media.”
