The Verstappen father-son duo has always had a liking for motorsport disciplines besides F1. And while Max Verstappen was competing in Japan this weekend, fighting for his first win of 2025, his dad Jos also returned to the racetrack in the European Rally Championship.
Max has often spoken about his love for rallying, so there was little chance he’d miss his father’s race in Spain—even with his own focus firmly on Suzuka. Likewise, Jos kept tabs on Max’s weekend, even praising his sensational pole lap on Saturday afternoon.
Edging out both the in-form McLaren cars by less than five hundredths of a second, Max wowed everyone at the Suzuka International Circuit. Even though he was driving the third-fastest car, the 27-year-old showed why he has been the world champion for the past four years. “Unbelievable. I mean, he always does it when it counts. It’s fantastic,” said Jos.
That said, Jos also knew that he needed to perform in the ERC season opener, as Max would keenly watch him in action.
“He’s watching me. The pressure is on,” the 52-year-old added in an interview posted by ERC’s Instagram account.
Verstappen liked the post, which did indicate that he would be tuning into the season opener in Spain after all.
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The European Rally Championship kicked off this weekend in the Sierra Morena mountain range near Cordoba, featuring 13 stages over a total distance of just over 130 miles (209.96 km). With seven stages completed on Saturday, Jos currently sits 16th in the overall standings, trailing race leader Nikolay Gryazin by just over two minutes.
While a win or podium may be out of reach in this season opener, Jos still has seven more rounds on the 2025 ERC calendar to chase glory, as he’s competing full-time this season.
Max, meanwhile, went on to win the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, finishing ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. He may no longer have the fastest car on the grid, but his bid for a fifth consecutive championship is far from over—Japan was proof of that.
