While his team finally lifted a trophy after a miserable start to the season, Max Verstappen used his post-race press conference to talk not about the car, but about his father. At Sepang, the four-time champion opened up about what the season’s first win meant to Jos Verstappen — the former driver whose shadow and influence have shaped his entire career.

“We’re all very much invested in it,” Verstappen said. “My relationship with my dad, we really understand each other well from all the years we’ve spent working towards our goal in Formula 1. He’s not coming to every race anymore, but when he is there, we talk a lot about everything. He knows everything.”

The most candid line was about the season itself: “Also for him, I guess the beginning of the season was not nice to watch. As for me, being in the car was not nice to drive.” The contrast with the current mood was unmistakable — Verstappen described how the team never stopped working and finally delivered, praising the atmosphere inside Red Bull: “The spirit in the team is very good. Everyone is on the same line.”

The win moved him up to sixth in the drivers’ standings, level with Lando Norris on 188 points.

Source: Motorsport.com (https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-verstappen-reflects-on-emotional-jos-verstappen-reaction-after-milestone-win-in-sepang/10862022/)