Max Verstappen’s Father to Make his Debut at Ypres World Rally Championship

Jos Verstappen, a former Formula 1 driver and the father of current F1 world champion Max Verstappen, will compete in his first World Rally Championship event at the Ypres Rally next month.

Verstappen, who has won his class in the 24 Hours of Le Man’s endurance race and finished on the podium in F1 races, made his rallying debut earlier this year in a Citroen C3 Rally2. He placed ninth overall on the Rally van Haspengouw.

Along with participation in the Belgian Rally Championship, a WRC round had been anticipated as part of his schedule. That has finally happened for the Ypres Rally, where Verstappen will once again be co-driven by Harm van Koppen.

The second place finishes Verstappen achieved on the Monteberg Rally, which features Ypres-like stages, is his greatest finish to date.

However, he will face a formidable field of 36 other Rally2 vehicles in the WRC, making it difficult to repeat that performance.

Verstappen will not be eligible for points because he did not register for the WRC2 category.

The Ypres Rally in Belgium, which made its debut last year, is returning to the World Rally Championship schedule in 2022, and the August 18–21 event has drawn a robust 88-car entry across all classes.