 Verstappen in 2006 | |
| Born | Johannes Franciscus Verstappen 4 March 1972 Montfort, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Dutch |
| Active years | 1994–1998, 2000–2001, 2003 |
| Teams | Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart, Arrows and Minardi |
| Entries | 107 (106 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 17 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2003 Japanese Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 2008–2009 |
| Teams | Van Merksteijn Motorsport, Aston Martin Racing |
| Best finish | 10th (2008) |
| Class wins | 1 (2008) |
Johannes Franciscus Verstappen (pronounced [ˈjɔs vɛrˈstɑpə(n)]; born 4 March 1972) is a Dutch former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2003.
After a successful karting career—culminating in two direct-drive Karting European Championships in 1989—Verstappen graduated to junior formulae. He won his first championship at the 1992 Formula Opel Lotus Benelux. Later that year, he also won the EFDA Nations Cup, representing the Netherlands. Progressing to German Formula Three in 1993, Verstappen won the championship in his rookie season.[1] He also won the 1993 Masters of Formula 3.[1]
Signing for Benetton as a test driver in 1994, Verstappen made his Formula One debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix, replacing the injured JJ Lehto to partner Michael Schumacher for the opening two rounds of the season. Verstappen formally replaced Lehto after the Canadian Grand Prix, 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 1995 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 Arrows in 1996. After non-classified championship finishes in 1997 and 1998 with Tyrrell and Stewart, respectively, Verstappen became a test driver for the Honda project in 1999. He returned to a race seat with Arrows in 2000, competing with them for a further two seasons. After a year hiatus, Verstappen completed his final Formula One season with Minardi in 2003.
Outside Formula One, Verstappen took a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2008 with Van Merksteijn Motorsport, winning the 2008 Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class. He was also a race-winner in the 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix series, representing the Netherlands. In rallying, he competed in the 2022 Ypres Rally as an independent entrant.
Since 2002, Verstappen has coached and managed his son Max from karting at an early age to winning three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles.[2] Max's successes in the sport have renewed public scrutiny of Verstappen, who has faced several allegations of assault spanning two decades.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
8Wwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Verstappen's elite club of triple world champions". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2024-01-24.