Jos Verstappen

Johannes Franciscus "Jos" Verstappen (; born 4 March 1972) is a Dutch racing and rally driver who competes in the European Rally Championship as a privateer. Verstappen competed in Formula One between and . He is also the father of four-time F1 drivers' world champion Max Verstappen.

Born and raised in Dutch Limburg, Verstappen began competitive kart racing aged eight. After a successful karting career—culminating in two senior European Championships in 1989—Verstappen graduated to junior formulae. He started his career in Formula Opel Lotus, winning the Benelux Championship in 1992. Later that year, he also won the EFDA Nations Cup, representing the Netherlands. Progressing to German Formula Three in 1993, Verstappen won the title in his rookie season with Opel, further winning the Masters of Formula 3.

Signing for Benetton as a test driver in , Verstappen made his Formula One debut at the , replacing the injured JJ Lehto to partner Michael Schumacher for the opening two rounds of the season. Verstappen formally replaced Lehto after the , scoring two podiums in his rookie season before being replaced by Johnny Herbert in Japan. His podium in Hungary made him the first Dutch driver to score a podium finish in Formula One. Verstappen competed for Simtek in before the team went bankrupt five rounds into the season, returning to his test driver role with Benetton. He became a full-time driver for Footwork in . After non-classified championship finishes in and with Tyrrell and Stewart, respectively, Verstappen became a test driver for the Honda project in . He returned to a race seat with Arrows in , competing with them for a further two seasons. After a year hiatus, Verstappen completed his final Formula One season with Minardi in .

Following his departure, Verstappen moved to A1 Grand Prix with the Netherlands for the 2005–06 season, achieving his sole victory in the South Africa feature race. He then competed in sportscar racing in 2008, winning both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class with Van Merksteijn. In rallying, he contested the 2022 Ypres Rally as an independent entrant, and has competed in the European Rally Championship since 2025. Since 2002, Verstappen has coached and managed his son Max from karting at an early age to winning four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles. Max's success in the sport have renewed public scrutiny of Verstappen, who has faced several allegations of assault spanning two decades.

Early career Verstappen began karting at the age of eight, and was participating in national competitions not long after. In 1984, he became Dutch junior champion. Verstappen remained successful, becoming a two-class Karting European Champion in 1989, He drove in Formula Opel Lotus,

After the test, Verstappen was contacted by every Formula One team except Ferrari and Williams, and was eventually signed as the Benetton team's test driver for the 1994 season.

After a crash in pre-season testing by regular driver JJ Lehto (who broke a vertebra), Verstappen drove in the first two races of the season as a substitute, partnering Michael Schumacher and made his Formula One debut at the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix. Verstappen driving the Benetton B194 at the 1994 British Grand Prix. A high point in this season was Verstappen's third place during the next Grand Prix in Hungary, Schumacher having allowed Verstappen to unlap himself on the final lap to pass Martin Brundle's stricken McLaren-Peugeot. He took another third place at the Belgian Grand Prix due to Schumacher's post-race disqualification from victory, and a fifth place at the Portuguese Grand Prix. A curiosity was his accident during a practice session for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, in which Verstappen rammed his car into the pit wall causing debris to fly up and destroy a TV installation. Due to this accident, this equipment is now protected from the race track by acrylic glass.

For the last two races of the season, Verstappen was replaced by the more experienced Johnny Herbert in a bid to win the Constructors' Championship for Benetton. Although the team was unsuccessful in this aim, losing out to the rival Williams team, Herbert was signed for the 1995 season instead of Verstappen. (then part-owned by Briatore and Tom Walkinshaw). Briatore decided against taking up his option for Verstappen in 1996, signing Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger to drive instead. but the surprise availability of Damon Hill (soon to be crowned World Champion) saw him dropped instead. After the first corner accidents in Austria, de la Rosa and Verstappen ran fourth and fifth but mechanical problems sidelined them both. Verstappen would score only once again, a strong fourth place at Monza.

For 2001, Verstappen was retained by Arrows. The Supertec engines were replaced by Asiatech units and de la Rosa was dropped on the eve of the season for the Red Bull-backed Enrique Bernoldi. Highlights of the season included running second at Sepang having started 18th, making a superb start and running well in changing conditions before dropping to seventh and later scoring the team's only point of the year for sixth at the A1-Ring. while at Montreal, he moved into the top-six but retired with brake failure.

Verstappen re-signed to drive for Arrows in 2002, but was dropped at the eleventh hour in favour of Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

2003: Minardi

Verstappen returned to the cockpit in 2003 with Paul Stoddart's European Minardi team, considered the tail enders of the grid. With limited funds and underpowered engines it was a difficult season with little opportunity to shine. His best result was ninth at the Canadian Grand Prix, one place away from a point under the new scoring system. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, he had been running ahead of eventual winner Giancarlo Fisichella on the same strategy only to spin off on standing water, but generally the year was one to forget – and many noted that Verstappen was largely outperformed by rookie teammate Justin Wilson. At the French Grand Prix, Verstappen recorded his and Minardi's only provisional pole position in the first qualifying session by running last on a rapidly-drying track; in the second, dry qualifying session, Verstappen qualified on the team's usual back row. Saturday qualifying, due to wet weather At the end of the year, he left the Italian team because he did not feel like driving in the rear-guard for another year.

Out of a drive for 2004, Verstappen was considered as a replacement for Giorgio Pantano at Jordan partway through the season but was unable to fit in the car and began looking for drives outside Formula One for the following season.

Verstappen participated in 107 Grands Prix. He achieved two podium places, managed by seatholder Jan Lammers's Racing for Holland, for the A1 Grand Prix series. They won the feature race at Durban. This resulted from Verstappen only being paid for the 2005/06 season a few weeks before the next season started. He was replaced by Jeroen Bleekemolen for the first race of the 2006/07 season at the team's home race at Zandvoort.

Le Mans Series

Verstappen driving for Van Merksteijn Motorsport at the 2008 1000km of Silverstone, in which he and teammate Peter van Merksteijn Sr. won the LMP2 class.

In December 2007, Verstappen announced that he would take part in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans race, as well as enter the 1,000 kilometre races in the Le Mans Series. Driving a LMP2-class Porsche RS Spyder fielded by Van Merksteijn Motorsport, Verstappen was partnered by team owner Peter van Merksteijn Sr. Jeroen Bleekemolen also joined the team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Verstappen participated in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Lola-Aston Martin.

Personal life

Verstappen speaks Dutch, English and German.

In 1996, Verstappen married Belgian ex-kart driver champion Sophie Kumpen, whose cousin is NASCAR Whelen Euro Series racing driver Anthony Kumpen, and whose uncle is former motocross, endurance, and rally driver Paul Kumpen. Verstappen and Sophie had two children, Max (b. 1997) and Victoria (b. 1999). He has a second daughter, Blue Jaye (b. 2014), with his second wife Kelly van der Waal. He also has a second son, Jason Jaxx (b. 2019) and third daughter Mila Faye (b. 2020), with his third and current wife Sandy Sijtsma. Both Max and Victoria have gone on to become racing drivers, with Max becoming a four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, in 2021, 2022, , and .

Starting in 2002, Verstappen coached and managed Max in kart racing at an early age. Jos' parenting of his son has been described by some in Formula One as either "tough love" or child abuse. Some of them allege Jos physically beat Max multiple times, once at a kart race to punish him for not performing better. Contrarily, Jos says he made his son's kart perform worse and told him false rules about races because Max was "winning so easily". Jos also says he made Max drive karts when Max was unable to, such as when it was freezing cold once: “he couldn’t move his fingers [to drive] and I didn’t care." [...] "When the fingers warm up again that’s very painful. I said, 'Ah, shut up.'" Max has stated that in 2012, during a kart race, Max crashed and damaged his kart while attempting to overtake; while Jos drove him home, Jos abandoned him at a fuel station and drove on for some time before returning to retrieve him. Once home, Jos did not speak to him for a week. Jos has denied that he abused Max, who, journalist Erik van Haren reports, publicly has a good relationship with his father.

When Max Verstappen was teammates with Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing, the team released a promo video of the two having a conversation. In it, Ricciardo playfully made a stabbing motion at a table, to which Max responded, "My dad did that once [to] a mechanic with a fork". The Sunday Times writes that Ricciardo's surprised reaction suggests Max was serious.

Legal issues After a 1998 incident at a karting track in which a man suffered a fractured skull, Verstappen and his father, Frans, were found guilty in court of assault but were each given a five-year suspended jail sentence after reaching an out-of-court settlement with the victim.

In December 2008, after Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen were effectively separated, he appeared in court in Tongeren, Belgium, charged with assaulting her. He was found not guilty of assault, but guilty of threatening her in text messages and of violating a previously issued restraining order. He was fined and sentenced to three months probational, suspended prison sentence. In January 2009, Verstappen again had to appear in court and was convicted to a three months suspended prison sentence and a 1650 Euro fine for sending Kumpen threats and visiting her house despite the restraining order.

On 29 November 2011, the media reported allegations that Verstappen had assaulted an unnamed 24 year old girlfriend in a hotel room in the Dutch city of Venlo; Verstappen claimed to only have had a discussion with her. In January 2012, he was arrested on attempted murder charges following accusations that he drove a car into his ex-girlfriend in Roermond - who was taken by ambulance to hospital with heavy bruises and abrasions. Verstappen was previously accused of beating his girlfriend. "It's definitely not the first time he does this," the unnamed woman told RTL television. "I think now I need to go and hide -- I don't know what to expect now when he is released." but released two weeks later after the charge was withdrawn. Verstappen was also accused of destroying two cell phones, jewellery and the handbag of his girlfriend, and he faced two weeks of imprisonment and 20 hours of community work service. Verstappen's lawyer Geert Jan Knoops said his client was relieved and he hopes this will be the definitive end of the court case. According to Dutch sources, Verstappen and his girlfriend are back together again. He and his ex-girlfriend, Kelly van der Waal, got back together and were married in 2014. They have one daughter, Blue Jaye, born in September 2014. They divorced on 2 June 2017.

On 28 July 2016, it was reported that Verstappen physically attacked his own father, Dutchman Frans Verstappen in his hometown of Montford. According to the official report, it occurred shortly after the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix. De Telegraaf, a large Dutch media group, stated that Frans Verstappen filed a complaint with the police. "We've seen before that Jos has loose hands but this was the limit," Frans, showing multiple wounds and bruises on his body and head, is quoted as saying. "Jos is very bad tempered." Manager Raymond Vermeulen said the incident was a "private matter". Later, Limburg broadcaster L1 reported that Frans had withdrawn the complaint, with him stating, "It's just a private matter between myself and Jos. I want to keep it between ourselves."

Racing record Racing career summary

† Verstappen was the test driver for the aborted Honda F1 project.

Complete German Formula Three results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points Mild Seven Benetton Ford Benetton B194 Ford V8 BRA PAC SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR JPN AUS 10th 10 MTV Simtek Ford Simtek S951 Ford V8 BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR PAC JPN AUS NC 0 Footwork Hart Footwork FA17 Hart V8 AUS BRA ARG EUR SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR JPN 16th 1 PIAA Tyrrell Ford Tyrrell 025 Ford V8 AUS BRA ARG SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA AUT LUX JPN EUR NC 0 HSBC Stewart Ford Stewart SF02 Ford V10 AUS BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA LUX JPN NC 0 Arrows F1 Team Arrows A21 Supertec V10 AUS BRA SMR GBR ESP EUR MON CAN FRA AUT GER HUN BEL ITA USA JPN MAL 12th 5 Orange Arrows Asiatech Arrows A22 Asiatech V10 AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA USA JPN 18th 1 European Minardi Cosworth Minardi PS03 Cosworth V10 AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT 22nd 0 Trust Minardi Cosworth MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN ITA USA JPN † Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Complete A1 Grand Prix results (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 DC Points Ref 2005–06 Netherlands GBRSPR GBRFEA GERSPR GERFEA PORSPR PORFEA AUSSPR AUSFEA MYSSPR MYSFEA UAESPR UAEFEA RSASPR RSAFEA IDNSPR IDNFEA MEXSPR MEXFEA USASPR USAFEA CHNSPR CHNFEA 7th 69

Complete Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Points 2008 Van Merksteijn Motorsport LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder Evo Porsche MR6 3.4 L V8 CAT MNZ SPA NÜR SIL 1st 48

24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Van Merksteijn Motorsport Peter van Merksteijn Sr. Jeroen Bleekemolen Porsche RS Spyder Evo LMP2 354 10th 1st Aston Martin Racing Anthony Davidson Darren Turner Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 LMP1 342 13th 11th