Former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen, who is now making waves in rally driving, made his debut in the ERC – the European Rally Championship – this weekend. Alongside co-driver Renaud Jamoul, he participated in the Rally Sierra Morena. After thirteen stages and a total distance of a whopping 210 kilometers, the duo secured the fourteenth place.
On Sunday, the last day of the South Spanish rally, Jos Verstappen completed two more rounds of three stages, bringing the total to thirteen. “It went well,” he responded after the eighth stage. “There was a lot of grip at the start, but it got slipperier towards the end. We’re going to review the notes and recordings to see where we can improve.” The long, ninth stage was tough for Verstappen. “I had to focus on Renaud’s notes and be careful with the brakes. The sheer amount of notes that keep coming in on such a long stage is completely different from what I’m used to in the rallies in Belgium.” During the first round, he ranked P17, P15, and again P17.
‘Continuing to Develop’
During the second round over the same three stages, Jos Verstappen recorded the sixteenth, thirteenth, and twelfth times respectively. “We keep learning and trying to improve,” he responded. “The notes are getting through to me much better, but there’s still a lot to improve to gain time.” In the overall standings, he ended up in fourteenth place. “We’re going to do everything we can to develop,” Verstappen concluded. “We’re going to test a few more times, in preparation for the gravel rally in Hungary. It’s a steep learning curve, but that’s why we’re here.”
The Rally Sierra Morena was won by the Russian-Bulgarian duo, Nikolay Gryazin and his co-driver Konstantin Aleksandrov.
