Max Verstappen has labelled accusations that his father is working against him as “nonsense” after a dramatic year for the pair.

While Verstappen Jnr won another world title, Jos Verstappen found himself in the headlines for comments he made – but his son believes his father still has his best interests at heart.

Max Verstappen leaps to Jos Verstappen’s defence

Jos Verstappen’s sniping from the sidelines, including some shots aimed at Christian Horner, were accused of being detrimental to his own son’s success but Max Verstappen does not see it that way.

Defending his father, Verstappen believes Jos saw things much more quickly than people assumed.

“That is nonsense,” Verstappen told De Telegraaf of suggestions Jos was only interested in himself. “My father sees the bigger picture very quickly. And that certain things that happen have an influence on the future of me and the team. Some people from outside may not see that.”

Despite Verstappen’s defence of his dad, there can be no denying that it was at times a toxic year for the Red Bull team. After Jos Verstappen was snubbed for a celebratory drive in Austria, he and Horner took to the media, requiring Max Verstappen to step in as peacemaker.

Even with these challenges, Verstappen was able to secure another world title but he has said if the problems, along with their car issues, remained it would be impossible for him to retain the championship in 2025.

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He added: “When things were very unsettled around the team, we still had the fastest car. Fortunately. Otherwise it would have been a lot more difficult, for everyone.

“Since the race in Miami, early May, there have only been very few races in which I have had the fastest car. And yet I have still managed to pull ahead since then. I am proud of how we as a team have dealt with the difficult races and often still got the most out of them.

“If we continue like this, I will not be champion next year. It is that simple. We really have to make steps to be competitive next season. We all know that.

“I trust that the team can fix the balance problems of last season. And certain things that we could not change last year will be changed for next year.

“We know that it has to be better over the kerbs, bumps and in the slow corners. Those are generally our weak points. If we are still beaten, it will be on the basis of pure speed.”

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