Jos Verstappen retires after striking tree in terrifying rally crash

Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen, has escaped unharmed following a dramatic rally crash on Sunday.

Verstappen Sr was competing in the Rallye de Wallonie, the fourth round of the 2026 Belgian Rally Championship, when his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car left the road and struck a tree in the Loyers stage on Sunday morning.

Jos Verstappen suffers DNF after hitting tree in rally crash

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Verstappen Sr was caught out in a fast left-right turn with the car’s left side striking a tree before rolling over, bringing his event to an early end.

Verstappen Sr and co-driver Jasper Vermeulen are understood to have escaped without injury, with images circulating on social media showing significant damage to the car (below).

Engagé au rallye de Wallonie en Belgique, Jos Verstappen est violemment sorti de la route ce matin. Heureusement, le Néerlandais et son copilote Jasper Vermeulen vont bien pic.twitter.com/0UxZUNBpNC

— Rallye Sport (@RallyeSport) April 26, 2026

Verstappen Sr, the reigning Belgian Rally Champion, was working with Vermeulen on a temporary basis this weekend after his regular co-driver, Renaud Jamoul, suffered a broken ankle.

Speaking prior to the accident, Verstappen Sr revealed that Vermeulen – who normally partners Cedric Cherain – was having to adjust to reading pacenotes in English for the first time.

He said: “It was Jasper’s first time using notes in English since we normally stick to our usual system, but everything went smoothly and the car felt great.”

Verstappen Sr and Vermeulen’s rally got off to a rough start when the pair were hit with a 40-second time penalty for speeding in a liaison section, dropping them to 17th place early on.

The crew had recovered to third before the accident on Sunday morning, with Verstappen Sr pushing to close in on Adrian Fernémont and Maxime Potty, running first and second respectively, at the time of his off.

Verstappen was crowned the 2025 Belgian Rally Championship last September, marking his first title success since he won the LMP2 class of the Le Mans Series, the predecessor to the modern World Endurance Championship, in 2008.

The next round of the season is due to take place on May 16, the weekend Verstappen’s son, the four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, makes his debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

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