Max Verstappen's father 'really angry' at Renault

Former F1 driver Jos Verstappen has admitted he was "really upset" after the Australian grand prix. The Dutchman, whose 17-year-old son Max has just made his high-profile debut for Toro Rosso, is known to be a hard taskmaster.

Once, during their kart racing days, Max crashed and his father refused to speak to him -- for seven days. "I really wanted to teach him a point that it should hurt him," Jos recalls. This time, it is Toro Rosso's struggling engine partner Renault that has incurred Verstappen snr's wrath.

In Australia, it was Verstappen's fellow rookie and teammate Carlos Sainz who scooped up the plaudits, while the sister car driven by its teenaged occupant broke down. "I was really angry," Verstappen, 43, is quoted by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "It was an anti-climax of what could have been a fairytale."

He put the blame squarely at Renault's door. "Things are clearly not in order. Renault needs to work harder and deliver," said Verstappen. "It is frustrating for Max. It is good that he is in formula one to gain experience, but if he was here with another brand of engine, he could really make an impression." (GMM)