Jos Verstappen underwent heart surgery as his son won the F1 championship Credit: Getty

Max Verstappen won the F1 championship with ease in a record-breaking campaign Credit: Getty

Jos, 51, kept his surgery away from the spotlight while his son embarked on a record-breaking F1 championship-winning campaign.

But he has now opened up about his health issue, which has been resolved thanks to the surgery.

He told Dutch outlet Formule 1: “It’s annoying that I had to have it, but it’s now resolved. Fortunately they were able to find the problem and I now feel fit again.

“It was something that I have had all my life and was never discovered, otherwise it could have helped immediately. But you can live to be a hundred years old with it.

“Any operation on your heart is always exciting, of course, because they can do something wrong and you’re totally dependent on other people.

“But I also had a neck hernia 20 years ago, which made me even more nervous.

“It puts things into perspective and makes you appreciate what you have even more.

“I have a nice wife and two small children with whom I want to spend beautiful time with for as long as possible.”

Red Bull star Verstappen, 26, won 19 out of 22 races this year to win the championship with 575 points – eclipsing the record he set last year by 121 points.

Between May-September the Dutchman broke a record by winning ten consecutive Grands Prix, culminating with victory at the Italian GP.