Column: Jos Verstappen - Underestimating

Published on 18 September 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. 

“Renault's top boss Carlos Ghosn announced that his company will stop as a Formula 1 engine supplier. The main reason being the benefits don’t outweigh the investment.

Renault achieved four world championships in a row together with Red Bull. According to Ghosn, Renault didn’t get the credit it deserved back then. However this season, the French car manufacturer is blamed for all issues at Red Bull and Toro Rosso. I understand what he says, but I personally think Renault did share in the earlier success.

I guess it also depends how a company deals with criticism. The pas weeks and months, a lot has been said about the engines. If they had been able to solve the problems, they would've received all praise for the way they bounced back.

But I should stress that the current generation of powerplants is very complex. We're not just talking about an internal combustion engine but also the turbo, the battery, the MGU-K, the MGU-H and several other components that have to work well together. But then again, Mercedes and Ferrari did manage to make it work. I think Renault underestimated the situation. Mercedes simply threw more money and people at the engine project and it's reaping the benefits now.

I do hope that a big brand like Renault stays in Formula 1. It's where they belong. Lotus was effectively the Renault factory team so it would be good to see both parties reunited.

Nevertheless, I don’t think the break with Renault will influence the rest of the season as we keep what we've already got.

From a sporting perspective it makes sense that both teams will use Ferrari power units in the future. Looking ahead to the development of next year's car, it's important a decision is reached quickly because a lot of work will need to be done. A new engine means that a lot of things on the car will change.

Of course, Red Bull has a bigger budget than Toro Rosso and that's an advantage. However, Toro Rosso is a strong team with good people. They build an excellent car this year so I trust them. Personally I'm only focussed on Max. This year we had a lot of DNFs due to engine related issues. I feel that with a different engine we'll get 'into a higher gear' and that's what I want to see.

I'm already looking forward to next year but also to the Singapore Grand Prix. This street circuit suits both the car and Max. Prior to the race I would settle for P6 or P7.”

Jos Verstappen

Source: De Telegraaf/Telesport

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