Max Verstappen’s father Jos involved in rally car crash but escapes unhurt

Jos Verstappen, 54, is the reigning national rally champion and had been running third in the Rallye de Wallonie heading into Sunday's stage before his car went off road; both he and co-driver Jasper Vermeulen were unhurt despite extensive damage to the car

>Jos Verstappen escaped unhurt after being involved in a rally car crash in Belgium.

>The father of Formula One driver Max Verstappen retired from the Rallye de Wallonie on Sunday after losing control of the car and hitting a tree during the Loyers special stage.

>The crash was confirmed by the Rallye des Wallonie on its social media platforms.

>Verstappen Snr, 54, the reigning national rally champion, had been running third heading into Sunday's stage before what was described as having "violently gone off the road this morning".

>Both Verstappen and co-driver Jasper Vermeulen were unhurt, although images showed extensive damage to the car.

>Verstappen had also been competing without his usual co-driver Renaud Jamoul for this year's edition, who was unavailable following surgery on an ankle problem.