Jos Verstappen Reveals Amidst His Son’s Incredible Success He Had to Go Through Major Heart Operation: “I Now Feel Fit Again”
Jessica Hardy
Published Apr 10, 2026
Max Verstappen had an outstanding season in 2023 as he claimed a record 19 victories en route to his third championship win. While the 26-year-old grabbed all the headlines, little information was available about his father’s health. Jos Verstappen recently revealed in a recent interview that he finally feels fit again after having a major heart operation.
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The former F1 driver said as per Dutch Formule1, “It’s annoying that I had it, but it’s now resolved. Fortunately, they were able to find the problem and I now feel fit again.”
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Despite the health condition, Jos was present in most of the races his son took part in. The 51-year-old now has to focus on the second innings of his parenting life as he also has two children with his third wife, Sandy Sijtsma.
Jos Verstappen readying himself for parenting again
Jos Verstappen might not be an ideal name when it comes to parenting. The harshness with which he parented Max is widely known to the public. Arguably the most infamous incident is when Jos kicked Max out of his car for crashing in go-karts.
On that occasion, Jos left Max stranded at a petrol pump. The 26-year-old was eventually picked up by his mother, Sophie Kumpen.
Jos, who is now married to Sandy Sijtsma, has two children: Jason Jaxx and Mila Faye. When it comes to his professional life, Jos is once again taking a keen interest in racing.
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The 51-year-old is now into Rally Racing and claimed his first victory in Belgium already in May this year. His enthusiasm to take part in racing also excited Max, who also showed interest in joining his father for Endurance Racing in the future.
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