‘If my dad ran McLaren, there’d be no rules’ - Verstappen

Max Verstappen says his father Jos would take a very different approach to handling McLaren’s internal rivalry if he were running the team, joking there would be “no rules” at all.

Speaking to Dutch reporters in Austin, Verstappen - who is now chasing Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the title fight - said his father’s straightforward style would leave no room for politics.

“I think he would be a very good team principal,” Verstappen said with a smile. “He can be a bit of a hothead sometimes, but I think a lot of people would benefit from a kick in the ass, figuratively speaking, you know.

“My father would fit right in in Formula 1, 100%. Only he doesn’t want that, you’re away from home so much. He’s done that once already, and with the family at home, it’s just not feasible.”

Asked how Jos would deal with the fallout from McLaren’s Singapore clash, Verstappen laughed: “I know exactly how my father is, there wouldn’t be any rules. Just step on the gas.”

The Dutchman’s comments come as tension lingers inside McLaren following Norris’s aggressive move on Piastri that caused contact in Singapore.

Norris admitted there had been “repercussions for myself,” though said the team’s racing approach “is the same as it’s always been.”

Piastri, still leading the championship, said the issue had been discussed and settled internally. “What happened in Singapore is not how we want to go racing as a team,” he said. “Lando has taken responsibility for that. It’s been dealt with, and now we’re looking forward.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung that McLaren’s internal battles could yet help Verstappen’s late-season title push.

“I don’t think we can do it on our own,” he said. “If the McLaren drivers continue to disagree and there are further incidents, it’s not impossible. As long as it’s mathematically possible, we’ll definitely fight.”

As for whether McLaren favours Norris, Verstappen said he wasn’t sure. “I find it difficult to assess whether a particular driver is being favoured or not,” he said. “If you leave the door open a little, like in Singapore, you get these kinds of situations. McLaren has also brought this on themselves by trying to treat both drivers equally.”

According to Verstappen, total equality inside a team is nearly impossible. “A championship is never completely fair,” he said. “Sometimes you have a bad pit stop, sometimes an engine failure. You can hardly balance that out and that sometimes leads to some unequal treatment.”