Max Verstappen’s dad enjoyed watching son lap Lewis Hamilton at Imola

Verstappen lapped former title rival Hamilton on his way to victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Max Verstappen secured his second race victory of the season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Getty Images)

Max Verstappen’s dad has admitted that he relished watching the world champion lap Lewis Hamilton as he cruised to victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver secured his second victory of the season with a dominant performance at Imola, winning from pole after also taking victory in Saturday’s sprint race.

Hamilton has been off-the-pace amid considerable difficulty for Mercedes early in the 2022 season, and endured a tough weekend in Imola.

The seven-time world champion eventually came home 13th after being frustrated by Pierre Gasly, and forced to stand aside to allow race leader Verstappen to lap the pair.

It was a clear illustration of how far Hamilton and Mercedes have fallen since the controversial conclusion to 2021’s thrilling title duel with Verstappen - and Jos Verstappen, himself a former F1 driver, admitted to taking some form of delight from Hamilton’s Italian plight.

“Honestly, I did enjoy seeing Max lap [Lewis] Hamilton, after everything that happened last year,” the elder Verstappen wrote on his son’s website. “Hamilton really had a tough time, whereas his teammate George Russell seemed to be more balanced. It’s not often you have the opportunity to lap a Mercedes.

“Max had an excellent weekend in Imola. I found him incredibly strong.

“He didn’t make a single mistake, was solid and completely in control. Red Bull clearly made a step in the right direction.”

Verstappen trails Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 27 points in the Drivers’ Championship standings ahead of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix as he bids to defend his F1 crown.

An error from Leclerc while chasing a bonus point for the race’s fastest lap saw the Monegasque lose out on the podium and potentially crucial points in the title battle.

According to Verstappen’s father, a “perfect weekend” at the home circuit of Ferrari shows that Red Bull have made significant strides.

“Of course, we knew the car would get an upgrade in Italy, but with the weather conditions it was hard to make a comparison,” Jos Verstappen reflected. “But we can definitely conclude that we’ve become stronger.

“Saturday during the sprint race, we saw the first glimpses of this. Max caught up with Charles [Leclerc]. It meant Ferrari had to push harder, forcing them to use the tires more.

“In Italy, Max and Red Bull put Ferrari under pressure, and when under pressure, it’s easy to make a mistake. If you are effortlessly leading, that chance is a lot smaller. It turned out to be a perfect weekend for Max.”