Jos Verstappen has admitted that he is worried about the pressure that is mounting on the shoulders of his 19-year-old son.
Max Verstappen is now heralded as a rare, Ayrton Senna-like young hero in Formula 1, but his father and former F1 driver Jos worries about that mounting popularity and pressure.
"Max can no longer go anywhere he is not recognised," Jos told the Dutch broadcaster L1. "He is under really a lot of pressure.
"The situation is no longer good for Max. His work is six-and-a-half days a week and even that is getting very difficult. All this news coverage is not good for him.
"Of course I'm a concerned father but luckily Max himself stays calm under all this pressure and media attention."
As for Max's chances of wins this year, Verstappen Sr answered: "Everyone is optimistic, but we try not to be too excited.
"Ferrari is fast, Mercedes is also very fast, but we are also good. At the same time nobody knows - everybody is trying to hold something back.
"For the world title I think it's a year too early. If Max wins a couple of races I would be more than satisfied. I expect 2018 will be Max's year if everything goes as it should."
The 2017 championship gets under way on March 26.
