Jos talks about Van Amersfoort and Max' first win

Published on 07 May 2014 by Stefan Meens

Jos Verstappen claims his primary role nowadays is to operate as his son’s taxi driver. However, whoever sees Jos in action in the paddock will understand his influence and importance goes beyond dropping Max off at various European race tracks. As his mentor, he is coaching and building up Verstappen junior. Furthermore, Jos proves to be a valuable source of knowledge and experience to Van Amersfoort Racing. The Verstappen Info Page caught up with Jos after Max’ first victory in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

After an intense pre-season, the European Formula 3 campaign is well and truly under way. “Van Amersfoort Racing has worked incredibly hard over the past few months. The new chassis was only just finished on time and the engine arrived fairly late. This meant the team worked day and night to be at the first collective test session at the Hungaroring and there wasn’t a lot of time left to prepare”, explains Jos. “Thus, Max’ victory at Hockenheim is great for everyone involved. You can see the relief and joy in the team. It’s a fantastic result.” 

The second round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship proved an emotional rollercoaster as Max’ victory in race 3 was preceded by electronic problems prior to the second race. The issue prevented the 16-year-old from participating in that race for which he qualified in pole position.
Jos: “I kept calm when the issues arose because I’ve gone through this scenario plenty of times myself. But I do really feel for Max in those moments because I know how much he wants to win.”

Up until twenty minutes before the third and final race, the situation was precarious. Jos continues: “The engine wasn’t firing on all cylinders; it didn’t sound right. We swapped the new ECU for the old one and everything was fine.” A hectic moment for everyone in the Van Amersfoort Racing pits.
“It must have been difficult for Max, to see a dozen or so people around his car and him fearing the worst. But that’s part of the game, he needs to learn how to deal with these things. So all in all, the preparation ahead of the third race was far from ideal so that makes the victory taste even sweeter.”

Looking back at weekend, Jos is proud of Max’ composure. “He remains calm, even when he is leading. I know he can race because he proved that in karting, but the European F3 championship is something else. I mean, I always had the confidence in him but you always have the see how things pan out considering the emotions that the racing attracts.”

One of things that stands out to both the team and Jos, is Max’ ability to adapt quickly: “He picks new things up rapidly. Just think about it, last year he drove for the first time with a manual transmission kart and now he wins a race in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Considering the high level of competitiveness in the series, that’s an incredible achievement. And don’t forget, his performance will draw attention as the Euro F3 is a very important category. I genuinely think he is adapting to things quicker than I did in my time. So I’m really happy”, says Jos.

Upcoming weekend, Max faces a new challenge in the streets of Pau. “It’s going to be a different weekend. I’ve seen video footage of the track and the course is very challenging and extremely bumpy. Nevertheless, I think Max can put in a good result, because he adapts easily to new circumstances. And if everything goes well, we’ll hopefully see Max in action in the streets of Monaco in a few years…”, concludes Jos.