Frits van Amersfoort praises Max after Spa triumph

Published on 26 June 2014 by Stefan Meens

Van Amersfoort Racing celebrated a triumphant weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. Not only did Max Verstappen win all three races, his team mates Jules Szymkowiak and Gustavo Menezes gathered valuable points, with the American claiming two third places. Needless to say team owner Frits van Amersfoort is delighted with the Dutch outfit’s performance.

“It was a great weekend. Wouldn’t it be nice to continue the season like this?”, smiles Van Amersfoort. “I realise that isn’t realistic. However, we did prove we are part of the top teams. We’ve shown that a team is as good as its drivers and sometimes things go well and sometimes they don’t. I guess that’s what makes racing a sport and not some kind of trick you have to pull off. Furthermore, I think Max showed that what we do is sport on a very high level and I don’t think we’ll forget this weekend any time soon.” 

With almost forty years of experience, Frits still ‘suffers’ as he watches his drivers race. “During the first race it was so intense. It’s easy to forget the amount of pressure on our shoulders because you don’t want to mess things up. You’re constantly going through mental checklists to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. On top of that, you worry about everything technical and mechanical that could prevent the car making it to the finish.”

On Sunday, Frits was a lot more relaxt. “I guess you’re mentally a bit more prepared and I really had an opportunity to enjoy Max’ driving.” The overtake on John Bryant-Meisner and Esteban Ocon immediately comes to mind. “That was a truly magnificent move. Max’ father Jos, started his impressive career at Zolder in 1992. This weekend at Spa-Francorchamps could be a similar benchmark in Max’ career. I do believe that in a few years’ time, we’ll look back at this weekend and reminisce how special it was.”