Jos Verstappen, the 54-year-old father of Formula One star Max Verstappen, emerged unscathed from a severe accident during the Rallye de Wallonie in Belgium.
The defending Belgian rally champion's Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 overturned and collided with a tree, forcing his retirement from the event.
The vehicle was majorly damaged, resting on its roof with a wheel torn off and substantial bodywork damage.
Both Jos and his co-driver, Jasper Vermeulen, walked away without injuries from the frightening incident.
Jos Verstappen has been caught in a horror car crash | GETTYTRENDING
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Prior to the crash, Jos had been mounting a strong challenge for another title, having worked his way up to third position in the overall standings by Saturday's conclusion.
His weekend had not been without setbacks, as officials handed him a 40-second time penalty for exceeding speed limits during a liaison section, which saw him tumble to 17th place before the Loyers special stage.
Despite this earlier difficulty, the current Belgian rally titleholder appeared well-positioned to compete for victory once more.
Vermeulen had been drafted in as a replacement navigator for the Belgian event following an injury to Jos' usual partner.
Jos Verstappen was racing in the Rallye de Wallonie
|PA
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Renaud Jamoul, who normally occupies the co-driver's seat alongside the former Formula One driver, was unavailable after sustaining a double fracture to his ankle that necessitated surgical intervention.
Fortunately for the stand-in co-driver, he too escaped the dramatic crash completely unharmed, despite the alarming condition of the wrecked rally car following its collision with the tree.
The crash comes a week before the Miami Grand Prix, after F1 had a mini-break following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Max has been very critical of the 2026 regulation changes, comparing F1 to Formula E on "steroids".
Max Verstappen has been critical of the new F1 regulations
|GETTY
Speaking after the Japanese Grand Prix, when questioned if he was going to "walk away from F1 at the end of the year", he replied: "That's what I'm saying. I'm thinking about everything inside this paddock."
Reports speculated the Dutchman moving to McLaren, but CEO Zak Brown said he "couldn't be happier with Lando and Oscar (Piastri)".
He told Sky Sports: "We have long-term agreements with them, and I think it's the greatest driver pairing on and off the track.
"So we have no intention of replacing either of our two superstars."
Lando Norris shared he does not want to see Max Verstappen call time on his career
| GETTYMax's rival Lando Norris said it would be "a miss" if the Dutchman called time on his career.
"Hopefully things get better, and I just saw that he said he wants to win a fifth world championship at the minute, so I'm sure he'll stay longer than people say.
"It would be a shame for the sport – it would be a miss for the sport – if that does happen, because he probably is one of the best drivers you'll ever see in Formula One.
"You always feel like you want to race against the best in the world, and he certainly is one of them, so it would be a loss for the sport," he told The Guardian.
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