Jos Verstappen has dismissed suggestions that he had fallen ill after a doctored image of him began circulating on social media. The former Formula 1 driver addressed the concerns directly, sharing a photograph on Instagram to reassure fans about his health.
Posting a selfie taken in his car on Monday, the 54-year-old said: "Everything is fine with me. I'm not sick, just having a bad hair day." The clarification came after a screenshot from his interview with Viaplay over the weekend was manipulated to make him appear unwell, prompting speculation among fans about his condition.
Doctored image sparks health fears
The fake image showed Verstappen's face looking slender and sunken, leading many to question whether the father of Max Verstappen had taken a turn for the worse. It remains unclear whether Jos will take action against those responsible for creating the manipulated picture.
Horner book controversy resurfaces
The episode comes as former Red Bull principal Christian Horner has faced criticism over claims made in his new book. The 52-year-old, who was sacked by Red Bull last summer, released the memoir titled 'Drive' last week.
One claim in the book suggests that Red Bull colleague Helmut Marko did not want to sign Max to the team because of Jos' actions. As per Horner, Marko had said: "The father's a nightmare...We don't need this one."
Marko and Schumacher respond
In response, Marko has labelled Horner's book as a "collection of untruths" of "such a low calibre" that he will not publicly address them. Ralf Schumacher has also weighed in on the dispute, defending Marko while criticising Horner.
The F1 analyst for Sky Germany told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast: "That's an absolute no-go, the story is a complete lie. Allegedly, Marko said that Max's father, Jos, was a nightmare." He added: "But the story as I know it goes like this: Helmut Marko approached Max when he was just 11 years old. Jos actually said that it was too early for him. And then the doctor got a little miffed and said, 'If he doesn't want me, then so be it.'"
Schumacher also claimed that Horner is ruining his legacy with such claims during the weekend's coverage of the US Grand Prix, saying: "Unfortunately, it's nothing new with Christian Horner that he's occasionally been in poor taste. I think that's a shame. He's ruining all his own hard work, because he and the team have been very successful. He significantly influenced the engine with which Red Bull won races here. He brought in these people and then does something like this. It's just a shame and sad."
