Jos Verstappen, the father of four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen, walked away unscathed after a terrifying crash during the Royal Rally of Scandinavia in Sweden — an event in the FIA European Rally Championship calendar.
The 53-year-old former F1 driver was competing alongside navigator Renaud Jamoul in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 when disaster struck on stage nine. After a solid performance that saw them 18th overall and leading the Masters classification, Verstappen admitted he pushed too hard into a corner — with costly consequences.
“I went a little bit too quick into the corner and then I missed the apex,” Verstappen explained. “I was in the loose gravel, on full grass and I couldn’t make the corner. The rear wheels went into the ditch and the car rolled.”
The car flipped over in what Verstappen described as a “typical Sweden roll,” cracking the windscreen, damaging the front and rear of the vehicle, and breaking a damper. Thankfully, both he and Jamoul emerged unharmed.
Despite the crash, Verstappen remained upbeat, calling the experience part of the learning curve in rallying — especially for someone new to high-speed gravel stages.
“Every crash should be a lesson,” he said. “It’s a completely different thing, and of course, the age doesn’t help. But I really enjoy it.”
This rally marked only his third start on gravel, a stark contrast to the controlled precision of F1 circuits where Verstappen made his name in the late ’90s and early 2000s. He retired from Formula One in 2003 but has since kept his competitive flame alive in other motorsport disciplines, recently committing to a full season in the European Rally Championship.
Given the quick turnaround for the next rally in Poland, and the damage to the car, Verstappen chose to retire from the Swedish event rather than risk pushing on.
“Because Poland is coming so quickly and my feeling wasn’t that good in the car in this particular rally, we want to check everything instead of keep going,” he added.
The crash came just days after Jos was spotted in Monaco supporting his son Max, who finished fourth at the Grand Prix following a strategic shakeup due to the mandated two-stop rule — despite leading much of the race.
Jos Verstappen remains an active presence in the motorsport world, not only as a competitor but also as a mentor and outspoken figure, especially when it comes to the inner workings of Max’s Red Bull Racing team.
For fans of the Verstappen legacy, this incident was a stark reminder that motorsport at any level remains a risky business — but also one that still excites and challenges even the most seasoned racers.
