Jos Verstappen: Max Verstappen’s dad, the ex-F1 driver involved in infamous fire

Jos Verstappen made his F1 debut at the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix after Benetton driver JJ Lehto broke his vertebra.

Verstappen drove alongside Michael Schumacher, who would go onto win the 1994 title ahead of Damon Hill.

Verstappen failed to score points in his first two races for the team before making a return in France.

The Dutchman stood on the podium at the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix before being dropped for the final two races in favour of Johnny Herbert.

Herbert would secure the drive for 1995 alongside Schumacher, while Verstappen was forced to move to Simtek.

Infamous fire incident

During the 1994 campaign, Verstappen was involved in a dramatic fire incident at the German Grand Prix.

During his first pit stop, fuel leaked onto the car after the fuel hose was disconnected. 

As a result, his car went up in flames for several seconds.

Verstappen was uninjured besides a few minor burns to his nose.

Rest of his F1 career

The remainder of Verstappen’s F1 career proved to be unsuccessful as he never stood on the podium again after 1994.

His 1995 campaign was cut short by Simtek’s financial struggles, while 1996 only mustered one championship point with Footwork Hart.

Two top five finishes for Arrows in 2000 was the best Verstappen achieved in the final years of his career.

He finally retired at the end of 2003 after driving for minnows Minardi.

After scoring 10 points in his first season, Verstappen managed just seven points in the subsequent seven years.

Controversial past

Verstappen has a controversial history with a number of high-profile incidents.

Verstappen and his father were found guilty of assaulting a man at a karting track in 1998 but were given a five-year suspended sentence after reaching an out-of-court settlement.

In 2008, Verstappen appeared in Belgian court charged with assaulting his wife (who he had separated) Sophie Kumpen (the mother of Max).

He was found guilty of sending threatening texts and violating a previous restraining order but avoided jail.

Finally, in November 2011 it was reported that Verstappen had assaulted his ex-girlfriend. 

He was then arrested on attempted murder charges after claims he drove a car into his ex-girlriend but was released after the charge was withdrawn.