Shakedown test PS03 next week

Published on 14 February 2003 by Huub Rothengatter

In a couple of weeks the Formula 1 season will start again in Melbourne. In the first week of March the teams will leave for 'The land down under' to prepare for the first Grand Prix in 9 March. Minardi too, with Jos Verstappen and Justin Wilson but with a lot less test hours than any of the other teams. The new car (PS03) has not been finished yet and it was 2 weeks ago when both drivers drove their first (few) test laps. How did Jos experience the last two weeks after his debut for Minardi in Valencia?

Despite the fact that Jos has not been able to test his mind and body are both in tip-top shape, according to himself. Jos speaks to us from his house in Belgium: "I have don a lot of fitness and stamina training". We all know he has a special fitness machine which trains his neck muscles. PSV Eindhoven football player Jan Heintze will confirm this, he was guest in Jos's house and had a go on the machine to experience the force his neck muscles has to endure. "He will have a sore neck" Jos jokingly comments. They did not only spent time on the fitness machine but they also went cycling and went to the kartcenter in Genk to drive a few laps. "In a 125cc kart you find out that you have more neck muscles that need training. I have driven quite a few laps the last two weeks."

You have been reunited with physiotherapist Simon Jones?
"That's right. He has been contracted by Minardi yesterday. I am very happy, I love to work with people who I already know and who know me. You don't have to get adjusted to each other. Simon knows me very well from our time at Arrows, he knows my body; what I eat, how I feel and think"

Have you been at Minardi lately?
"No, I haven't. I do maintain contact with them, especially with my engineer Greg Wheeler. We discuss the regulations; that new rule where you can't refuel between qualification and race. Those proposals are sent to the team and they inform me, also because I ask them when I speak to the Minardi guys. Personally I don't know what to think of that rule, if it gets accepted. Imagine you are qualifying with very little fuel, this means you will have to refuel soon after the start of the race. I don't know."

How is the PS03 progressing?
"If everything goes well on Tuesday or Wednesday the car will be finished. We will immediately do a shakedown test. I assume that Minardi will let the most experienced driver, me, do the shakedown. I am able to feel how the car is. I showed that in Valencia; drove a couple of laps; explained to the team what had to be changed and the at the end of the test I had a reasonable time. Look, the PS03 is a new car. Only the bottom part of the front wing has not been changed in comparison to last year. The rest is new: suspension, aerodynamics, gearbox and the engine. During a shakedown the team will have a look how all part behave. How well does the gearbox work with the engine management. Out the box for a lap, back in, study data and out again. All in all it will take about half a day. Then we will get the real testing work. How everything fits together we will know and see next week."

Are there any more tests planned after next weeks'?
"I don't know. The only thing I do know is that I am leaving for Australia on 1 March. Maybe we will test inbetween but I hope to hear more next week. First I would like to see and feel the new car."

You have fitted the HANS device (Head And Neck Support). Not all drivers see the benefits of this extra protection. What is your opinion?
"I can't say much about it. I have only had a fitting but haven't driven with it. I think it is a good thing this extra protection. We will have to adjust." according to Jos who lets us in on some medical news: "Last year I have had minor surgery on my eardrum, it had a little hole in it which infected quite easily. I have the feeling that since the operation I am faster. Sounds strange but there is some logic in it. Your eardrum can have an effect on your balance. There has been a positive effect on my balance because the hole in my eardrum is no longer there. Very important for a driver, in Valencia I had the feeling I was very fast. When we went karing in Genk my laptimes were half a second faster than before the operation."

Let's hope that his eardrum stay in one piece this season.