Jos Verstappen has hilariously claimed that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has “accepted” becoming a great-grandfather.
The former F1 driver’s son, Max, announced ahead of last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that himself and his partner, Kelly Piquet, are expecting their first child together.
It will mark Jos’ fourth grandchild, with his daughter Victoria having three children. Jos sees similarities between the timing of Max becoming a father, to when he became a dad himself.
“First of all: I am going to be a grandfather for the fourth time,” Jos told F1-Insider. “My daughter Victoria already has three children.
“I am really happy, of course, and hope that everything will go well. It’s a good fit. I was 26 when I became a father for the first time with him, he is now 27. There are certain parallels.”
The birth of his first child will mark a huge change for Max, with the Dutchman targeting a record-equaling fifth consecutive F1 title.
It is expected to be a difficult year for Red Bull, due to the challenges it faced mid-season last campaign with the RB20.
Of course, it will be an exciting year for the 27-year-old regardless, with Marko also prepared for the Milton Keynes-based team’s star to become a father.
Jokingly, Jos has revealed that Marko, who has a very close relationship with Max, is ready to be like a great-grandfather.
“He has accepted the idea of becoming a ‘great-grandfather’ with goodwill,” laughed Jos. “We talked about it at length at the last race in Abu Dhabi.
“But there has been no talk of a Red Bull future. First we have to see whether it will be a boy or a girl.”
