Proud dad Jos steps back as Verstappen speeds forward

By Alan Baldwin BARCELONA (Reuters) - Proud father Jos Verstappen watched 18-year-old son Max qualify a sensational fourth on his Red Bull debut at the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday and recognised it was now time to ease back to let his brilliant boy take more control of his own future. "I think at this stage of his career it's better if I put another step back," said the former F1 racer, who made two podium appearances as Benetton team mate to Michael Schumacher in 1994. "He's now where he needs to be and it's about Max and not about his dad," he added, after watching from a distance as reporters crowded around a youngster who had once again lived up to all the hype. Max was third in the first two phases of qualifying, best of the rest after Mercedes, until Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo pipped him at the end. Fourth was the best qualifying by a Dutch F1 driver since the championship started in 1950 and the youngster took it in his stride. "I was very pleased with my first qualifying, I was enjoying it a lot," he said calmly. "I think we both pushed each other and that's very good for the team. "I didn't know what to expect and it was very positive, that's for sure," he added. "I never start dreaming, I just focus a lot." Jos Verstappen has been ever present since Max made his race debut last year with Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso, offering guidance and support and keeping a close eye on his son's progress. With Max too young to drive on public roads until he turned 18, the 44-year-old also served as occasional chauffeur. A tough and uncompromising competitor, who is unlikely to be the most successful Dutch racer for much longer, Jos made sure his son knew what was expected. Max joked in Singapore last year that he had ignored Toro Rosso orders to let team mate Carlos Sainz pass because his father would have kicked him where it hurts if he had done so. The move to Red Bull, announced last week in a swap with Russian Daniil Kvyat, changed the dynamic. "I'm here as a father," said Jos, keeping his options open about how many races he would attend now. "I'm very happy with what he has done today. "If he had stayed at Toro Rosso, I would have stayed how it was. In this situation, I think it's a good thing to step back a little bit more. He knows exactly what to do." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ian Chadband)