Jos ‘enjoyed’ seeing Max lap Hamilton at Imola

Jos Verstappen has admitted he enjoyed seeing his son Max lap Lewis Hamilton at Imola following the duo’s fierce title battle last year.

It was a dominant weekend for the Red Bull driver and one that saw him win the sprint race, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, take pole position for both and record the fastest lap.

This time last year, only he and Lewis Hamilton had won a race and what would prove to be one of the most thrilling title races in years was beginning to take shape.

Twelve months on though and the contrast between Red Bull and Mercedes could hardly be greater. Verstappen remains one of two drivers to have won a race at this point of the season but this time it is Charles Leclerc and not Hamilton alongside him.

That gap was best demonstrated at Imola where Verstappen lapped Hamilton and while the driver was apathetic towards the situation, his father Jos admitted he enjoyed seeing it.

“Honestly, I did enjoy seeing Max lap Hamilton after everything that happened last year,” Jos wrote in a column on the Verstappen.com website.

YES BOYS

Winning here today caps off a perfect weekend for us. Very happy with the performance from the car and the team this weekend, so thank you to @redbullracing for that.

Good to see @SChecoPerez coming in second, let’s build on this #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/1bk18rCOVh

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) April 24, 2022

“Hamilton really had a tough time, whereas his team-mate George Russell seemed to be more balanced. It’s not often you have the opportunity to lap a Mercedes.”

The 50-year-old reflected on Max’s performance at Imola and described it as a “perfect weekend”.

“Max had an excellent weekend at Imola,” he said. “I found him incredibly strong. He didn’t make a single mistake,