Jos Verstappen began karting at age eight and soon entered national competitions. By 1984, he had become the Dutch junior champion. His success continued, winning two European titles and numerous international races in 1989. Moving to car racing at the end of 1991, he competed in the Formula Opel Lotus, where he won the European championship and received an offer to drive in Formula 3. During the European winter season, he raced in the New Zealand Formula Atlantics and in German Formula 3, he claimed several international victories, including the 1993 Marlboro Masters and the German Formula 3 championship. He is more famously known as the father of multiple F1 champion Max Verstappen.
| Nationality | Dutch |
|---|---|
| Born | Johannes Franciscus Verstappen 4 March 1972 Montfort, Netherlands |
In 1994, he was hired as a test and backup driver for the Benetton team. After J.J. Lehto’s crash, he became a regular driver, debuting in the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix where he was involved in a dramatic crash with Eddie Irvine but emerged unscathed. During the 1994 German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring, a pit stop incident caused his car to catch fire briefly, resulting in minor burns. This incident led to the rule that drivers keep their visors closed during refuels. A highlight in 1994 was his 3rd place finish at the 1994 Hungarian Grand Prix. He also had a notable crash during practice for the 1994 French Grand Prix, which led to safety changes in TV installations at tracks. He was replaced by Johnny Herbert for the last two races of the season.
In 1995, his Benetton team boss, Flavio Briatore, placed him at Simtek. Despite strong performances, he only finished one of five races due to the team’s financial troubles, which led to its bankruptcy after the 1995 Monaco Grand Prix. Afterwards, he tested with Benetton and Ligier before joining Arrows in 1996, where engine troubles marred his season. A suspension failure at the 1996 Belgian Grand Prix caused a severe crash, resulting in a neck injury.
In 1997, he joined Tyrrell-Ford but did not score any points and was dropped after the season in favour of Ricardo Rosset, due to financial reasons. In 1998, Stewart Grand Prix brought him in for the last nine races of the season after Jan Magnussen was dismissed. He also tested for Benetton that year but was not hired permanently due to sponsorship issues.
By the end of 1998, he became the test driver for the Honda Formula 1 project, working with former Tyrrell colleagues Rupert Manwaring and Harvey Postlethwaite. He tested in 1999, with plans to race from 2000, but the project was derailed by Postlethwaite’s sudden death and Honda’s shift to being an engine supplier.
In 2000, he returned to Arrows, a team beset by technical problems affecting both him and his teammates. Despite some strong performances in 2001, including a controversial incident with Juan Pablo Montoya at the 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix, he was ultimately replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen for the next season.
In 2002, he nearly signed with Sauber but found the car too small for him. Ironically, Frentzen, his replacement at Arrows, fit perfectly. In 2003, he drove for European Minardi, impressing with the reliable but slow car, but left after a year, unwilling to continue at the back of the grid. Verstappen competed in 107 Grands Prix, achieving two podiums and scoring 17 championship points. He went on to race for the A1 Netherlands team in the A1 Grand Prix series, winning the feature race at Durban.
Verstappen also mentored his son Max Verstappen from an early age in karting, guiding him through his journey to becoming a successful F1 driver and winning multiple Formula One Drivers’ Championships. Jos also took on the role of Max’s manager.
Jos Verstappen Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1994–1998, 2000–2001, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart, Arrows, Minardi |
| Entries | 107 (106 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 17 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2003 Japanese Grand Prix |
Jos Verstappen Teammates
| Teammates | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Schumacher | 8 | 1994 | |
| JJ Lehto | 2 | 1994 | |
| Domenico Schiattarella | 5 | 1995 | |
| Hideki Noda | 1 | 1995 | |
| Ricardo Rosset | 16 | 1996 | |
| Mika Salo | 17 | 1997 | |
| Rubens Barrichello | 9 | 1998 | |
| Pedro de la Rosa | 17 | 2000 | |
| Enrique Bernoldi | 17 | 2001 | |
| Justin Wilson | 11 | 2003 | |
| Matteo Bobbi | 1 | 2003 | |
| Gianmaria Bruni | 5 | 2003 | |
| Nicolas Kiesa | 5 | 2003 |
Formula One Record
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Pts. | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Footwork Mugen Honda | Footwork-Mugen-Honda | Test Driver | ||
| 1994 | Mild Seven Benetton Ford | Benetton-Ford Cosworth | Test Driver | ||
| 1994 | Mild Seven Benetton Ford | Benetton-Ford Cosworth | 10 | 10th | Report |
| 1995 | MTV Simtek Ford | Simtek-Ford Cosworth | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1995 | Mild Seven Benetton Renault | Benetton-Renault | Test Driver | Report | |
| 1995 | Ligier Gitanes Blondes | Ligier-Mugen-Honda | Test Driver | Report | |
| 1996 | Footwork Hart | Footwork-Hart | 1 | 16th | Report |
| 1996 | Bridgestone Test Team | Bridgestone-Mugen-Honda | Test Driver | Report | |
| 1997 | PIAA Tyrrell Ford | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1998 | Mild Seven Benetton Playlife | Benetton-Playlife | Test Driver | Report | |
| 1998 | HSBC Stewart Ford | Stewart-Ford Cosworth | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1999 | Honda Test Team | Honda | Test Driver | ||
| 1999 | Benson & Hedges Jordan | Jordan-Mugen-Honda | Test Driver | ||
| 2000 | Arrows F1 Team | Arrows-Supertec | 5 | 12th | Report |
| 2001 | Orange Arrows Asiatech | Arrows-Asiatech | 1 | 18th | Report |
| 2002 | Sauber Petronas | Sauber-Petronas | Test Driver | ||
| 2003 | European Minardi Cosworth / Trust Minardi Cosworth | Minardi-Cosworth | 0 | 22nd | Report |
