Max Verstappen’s dad blanks Sergio Perez as Red Bull star celebrates

F1 preview: A lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

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Jos Verstappen blanked Sergio Perez moments after the Mexican secured victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen’s father nodded his head at the Mexican but refused to join in with the jubilant celebrations from the Red Bull mechanics.

The former Benetton star’s reaction was similar to his son’s who was also spotted looking uninterested despite battling back from 15th to the podium. Sky Sports commentator David Croft said: “The one person not smiling there is Jos Verstappen.

“He obviously thinks second place for his son is not something to smile about.” Fans were quick to notice the Dutchman’s reaction and poked fun at the ex-F1 star on social media.

Others criticised him for having “dreadful sportsmanship” after Perez delivered a confident drive to top the podium. @LoganK1807 commented: “Jos Verstappen needs to grow up and just be happy that Max went from P15 to P2.”

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@sebsbeehotel added: “Personally if I were Max I would not invite my dad to my races if he was gonna act like this every time I didn’t win” @nflstreet4 posted: “Jos Verstappen has to be the most miserable man alive.”

@CameronCairns87 remarked: “Saw the clips of Jos Verstappen refusing to acknowledge Checo after winning. Weird behaviour, Checo earnt his win.

“Checo is fantastic on street circuits, always has been. His son drove well to take an easy 2nd. There’s loads of races left and Max is likely winning a [third] title.”

Verstappen appeared to have the measure of Perez through free practice but suffered a drive shaft issue in qualifying. The problem prevented him from escaping Q2, forcing him to start in P15 while Perez took pole.

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Verstappen quickly passed the midfield and took advantage of a safety car to close the gap to his team-mate. However, he was unable to get the better of the 33-year-old who held on to secure his fifth career win.

The incident is not the first in a bitter relationship between Verstappen Snr and Perez. Last season, Jos criticised Red Bull after Sergio Perez took victory at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Last May, he stressed: “Max was not helped by the chosen strategy. It turned completely to Checo’s favour. That was disappointing to me, and I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader.”

The remarks risked unsettling Red Bull and sparked a furious reaction from Christian Horner. The team principal outlined the squad was not “Max Verstappen Racing” and pledged their two stars were free to fight.

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