Did Jos Verstappen race in the year 2002? Well, no, but there’s more to the story than that.
Other race followers may think that Jos Verstappen has more lives than the proverbial feline, but his fans have never been fully prepared to accept the end of his Formula One career. After the collapse of Simtek, and the subsequent closure of both Tyrrell and Honda, Jos has somehow always found a way back, and usually without too much delay. The interval following the split with Arrows has been lengthy, but it is finally over. Let’s hope that the 2003 season will mark the start of a climb back to the top for Jos, rather than another false dawn. A full update on Jos’ situation follows below.
Despite some excellent showings, leading to a contract renewal in June, Jos was only able to score a single point for Arrows-Asiatech in 2001. However, he went into 2002 confident that an improved engine package would result in better opportunities all round, if the powerful Cosworth motor could be married to an already handy and reliable chassis. Unfortunately, the situation then began to look somewhat uncertain for the Dutchman.
Although Tom Walkinshaw had stated his intent to run two experienced drivers in the team, with Jos being one of them, the name Verstappen was ultimately left off the FIA’s initial F1 entry list. Enrique Bernoldi’s continued place at Arrows had been announced, but there was no mention of Jos, or any alternate team-mate, in official statements from the team. There were assurances from Jos’ management that he was safe, with a binding contract, but rumours continued to link Heinz-Harald Frentzen to the seat alongside Bernoldi.
The German’s availability was due to serious financial difficulties for the Prost team and, sadly, it proved that the French outfit could not survive. Bernoldi’s position at Arrows apparently remained crucial for increased support from Red Bull, who were planning to scale down their involvement with Sauber, and this made Jos look vulnerable. With less than a month remaining until the race season began, Arrows duly made the announcement that Frentzen would replace Verstappen. This shocking move came so late that all the other teams’ seats had been filled, and Jos was left without a drive.
It later emerged that Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher had previously offered Jos the role of second Ferrari test driver. Thinking he had a solid contract with Arrows, Jos had turned them down, and Luciano Burti was hired instead. The upshot of all this was a legal action being filed against Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw, which also claimed that Jos had yet to receive all his agreed wages. As we have seen, Arrows struggled through 2002 with serious monetary worries, and it ended poorly for all involved parties. After twenty-five years in Grand Prix racing, the team is no more.
Meanwhile, Jos and his managers remained on the look out for a way back into F1. A variety of rumours cited Ferrari’s interest in the Dutchman, suggesting that his future could lay with the Sauber team. As an engine customer of Ferrari’s, the Swiss outfit might just be a option, especially if rookie Felipe Massa failed to work out. It turned out that this theory wasn’t completely unreasonable, as Sauber seriously considered Jos as their test and reserve driver. Jos visited the Sauber headquarters for a seat fitting, but was found to be too tall for the C21 car. Revising the chassis would have been a costly measure, so the team decided to continue running their race drivers during any test sessions.
Unfounded rumours also linked Jos with Toyota, but after that things went quiet. No race seats opened up during the season, so it all came down to the ‘silly season’ shuffle for 2003. Slowly, the line-ups were resolved. The big three teams opted to keep the same drivers as last year, and most of the rest kept at least one man on. The Verstappen group had made their man more attractive by securing further personal sponsorship backing, but the main opportunity always appeared to be at Minardi. In the end, the only seats left open were at the Cosworth-powered Minardi and Jordan teams, both of whom needed a driver to bring cash with him. On the ninth of January, Jos Verstappen was announced as a Minardi pilot, alongside Englishman Justin Wilson. The future starts here...
Note: Although Sauber hadn’t been able to fit Jos into their 2002 car, they did run it for a taller driver, in comparison to Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa, later on in the season. Heinz-Harald Frentzen walked out on the troubled Arrows team after the German GP, having signed up for a return to Sauber for 2003. He was then called up early for a one-off race in the United States, where Massa would have had to serve out a penalty following an ‘avoidable’ incident at Monza. Frentzen was not able to perform to his full potential in a cramped cockpit, although he did acquit himself, and it would not have been wise on a more permanent basis, regardless of the driver involved.