You’ve also raced in various disciplines, including endurance and rallying. Did you encourage him to branch out, or was that already in his nature?
Jos: At one point, I started doing some GT3 testing—just for the fun of it, to enjoy the experience and have a good time with the people involved. I invited him to try it out; he loved it so much that he ended up starting his own team. But he’s always had complete freedom in that regard. It’s his life, it’s how he wants it, and I’m happy about that.
Can you picture yourself racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans with him one day? Is that a realistic goal for the two of you?
Jos: I know people talk about it, but I also know just how competitive and professional he is. I think it’s better for him to follow his own path; that’s more important. Because if he races at Le Mans or anywhere else, he’ll want to win—and I’m probably a bit too old now to be as competitive as he is!
Your career is currently focused on rallying . He says rallying scares him, that the risk is too high. Would you like him to take it up one day, so he could compete against you?
Jos: No, what matters is what he wants. It makes no difference to me whether he likes it or not; I’ll leave the decision up to him.
He also mentioned that you sometimes still race against each other—that you rent out tracks to face off just for the fun of it. Do you still do that?
Jos: Yes, we still do it in the winter—in December and January—and we keep at it. It’s fun.
I have to ask: who wins? Does experience or youth make the difference?
Jos: No, I don’t stand a chance against him. He wins every time! If I get within a second of him—though usually it’s more like a second and a half—I’m already really happy. He’s very good; he knows exactly where to gain time. He’s a special talent. And you don’t get any faster as you get older—that’s the problem too.
What's your Le Mans dream team?
Max: With Fernando...that would be really cool. Back in the day, my dream team model was my dad, but he doesn't want to do it with me anymore(laughs). Yeah i think at the moment, the real pick I could say is Fernando. He is very professional about it.
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