Column: Jos Verstappen - new opportunities in Malaysia

Published on 27 March 2015 by Stefan Meens

Jos Verstappen is still the Netherlands most successful Formula 1 driver. This season he shares his opinions regarding the sport via a column in Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf. Below the latest edition.

“A lot has been written and said about the disappointing finish to the season opener, but I did manage to find a positive. It was great to see that Max is a ‘good loser' as they say. It was clear he was disappointment but at no point did he let his frustration take over.

I genuinely think that is impressive, because when his engine failed in Melbourne, he was on the harder tyres without losing much time compared to his direct competitors. Max was ready to show something special, knowing that his upcoming switch to the softer tyres would give him the ability to lap one to 1.3 seconds a lap quicker. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to show that potential.

Regardless, Melbourne is in the past and the next challenge will be the scourging heat in Malaysia. Max has never driven at Sepang, but I think it's a track that will suit him. Personally, I never thought the heat was that bad. During the race, you sweat a lot in the first half an hour, but after that, you feel cool. It's strange but you just don't notice the heat. I can't remember the heat ever bothering me, even though the cockpit temperature would go well above fifty degrees Celsius.

However, as soon as you get out of the car, the heat hits you. It's like all of your energy drains away. It's in those moment that you realize how many fluids your body loses. It can be pretty intense.

Apart from the weather, which I don’t think will be Max biggest worries, the Sepang weekend offers carious other challenges. First of all, it's a technical track, that's an advantage. Furthermore, tactics will prove very important, as well as dealing with tyre degradation. Also, it's likely the Toro Rosso's will lose out on the two main straights but they should be able to crawl back a lot of time in the corners.

Mercedes will of course be unbeatable. Perhaps Ferrari or Williams are able to get close, but the team of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remains in a league of their own. Behind these three teams, a big group will fight for the positions from P7 onwards. Pace wise Red Bull, Sauber, Lotus, Force India an Scuderia Toro Rosso are bunched closely together, which makes for an exciting race between those teams.

Lastly, I have to praise Toro Rosso for closely matching the pace of the 'main' team, Red Bull. Everybody that's part of the team has done an amazing job and Max couldn’t have wished for a better group of professionals working with him."

Jos Verstappen

Source: De Telegraaf/Telesport