• Jos Verstappen is a Dutch former Formula 1 driver and 1993 German Formula 3 champion.
• He married three times, and has 5 children (Max, Victoria, Blue Jaye, Jason Jaxx, and Mila Faye).
• He is 50, has blue eyes, short brown hair, is 5ft 9in (1.75m) tall and weighs about 160lbs (72kgs).
• He is followed by nearly 200,000 people on Instagram, and is fluent in Dutch, German, and English.
• His net worth is estimated to be over $8 million.
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Who is Jos Verstappen?
Dutch former Formula 1 driver Johannes Franciscus ‘Jos’ Verstappen was born in Montfort, The Netherlands on 4 March 1972, making his zodiac sign Pisces. He’s probably known best for the eight seasons that he raced in Formula 1, as well as for having been a German Formula Three champion.
Education and early life
Jos was raised alongside his three paternal half-siblings Blue Jaye, Jason Jaxx and Mila Faye in Montfort, by their father Frans Verstappen and his mother whose name hasn’t been revealed; Jos hasn’t shared many details about his family, as they prefer to maintain their privacy. He studied at a local high school in Montfort, and upon matriculating in 1989 chose to focus on racing rather than to enroll at college.
He was eight years old when he began karting, and after only two years started entering national competitions, and became Dutch junior champion in 1984. In the remainder of the decade, Jos won two European titles.
He was 19 when he started racing cars, and his first notable performance was winning the Formula Opel Lotus European Championship. Following the win, Jos was invited to drive for Van Amersfoort Racing in Formula 3, and in 1993 won both the German Formula 3 championship and the Marlboro Masters.
Formula 1
On 28 September 1993, Jos tested together with Christian Fittipaldi and Gil de Ferran for the Footwork Arrows team of Formula 1, driving at the Estoril Circuit, Portugal; Jos tested again two days later, but crashed his car.
His test results were so remarkable that he was contacted by all the Formula 1 teams, with the exception of Williams and Ferrari; he signed a contract with Benetton, and thus became their test driver for the following season. Joe’s first race was at the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix, partnering with German former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, who ranks amongst the best Formula 1 drivers of all time; Jos crashed his car in the race. He went on to start 6th at the Pacific Grand Prix, but lost control of his car after he was put on cold tires at the pit stop. His best performance in the 1994 season were placing #3 at the Hungary Grand Prix and #3 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Jos spent the year 1995 racing for Simtek, but finished only one of five races; then the team had financial issues and went bankrupt following the Monaco Grand Prix.
Jos joined the Footwork team for the 1996 season, and then the Tyrrell team for the 1997 season; his best performance for the season was placing #8 at the Monaco Grand Prix. He drove for the Stewart team in 1998, and then tested for Honda in 1999; Jos was to drive for them, but was left without a seat for the season as Honda chose not to become a Formula 1 team.
He started driving for Arrows once again in 2000, and scored his first points since 1996 at the Canadian Grand Prix, placing 5th; he scored points only one more time in the 2000 season, finishing #4 at Monza. He drove again for Arrows in 2001, then took a break from Formula 1 in 2002.
He joined the Minardi team in 2003, and his best result of the season was placing #9 at the Canadian Grand Prix; he was left without a seat for the 2004 season, and thus chose to leave Formula 1.
Career after Formula 1
Jos joined the A1 Team Netherlands in 2005, and they won their first race at Durban; he quit on 27 September 2006.
He revealed in December 2007 that he would be competing in the 24 Hours of le Mans, and drove the Van Merksteijn Motorsport’s Porsche RS Spyder; Jos won both the 1000km Spa and 1000km Catalunya, placed #2 at the 1000km Monza, and went on to win the 1000km Nurburgring race, thus becoming the LMP2 Driver Champion, and his team winning the LMP2 Manufacturers’ title.
#TBT 24 hours of Le Mans 2008. Winner LMP2 with Van Merksteijn Motorsport together with Peter van Merksteijn and Jos Verstappen in the Porsche RS Spyder LMP2. pic.twitter.com/xvpgBd8mWv
— Jeroen Bleekemolen (@jbleekemolen) November 16, 2017
Jos drove for Aston Martin in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, and then retired from racing; he’s since been staying away from the media’s attention.
Love life and wife
Jos has married thrice. He and his first wife, Belgian former kart driving champion Sophie Kumpen married in 1996 – she gave birth to their son Max in 1997 and daughter Victoria in 1999, but Jos and Sophie divorced in 2008. Max has become a successful Formula 1 driver, winning the World Drivers Championship in both 2021 and 2022.
Jos exchanged vows with his second wife, non-celebrity Belgian Kelly van der Waal in 2014, and she gave birth to their daughter Blue Jaye in 2014, but the two divorced in 2017.
Since 2019, Jos has been married to his third wife Sandy Sijtsma; she gave birth to their son Jason Jaxx in 2019, and their daughter Mila Faye followed in 2020.
Jos hasn’t spoken about other women whom he’s dated, he’s married to his third wife Sandy Sijtsma as of January 2023, and has five children.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Jos and his father were involved in a 1998 incident, which left a man with a fractured skull; Jos was given a five-year suspended jail sentence.
He was found guilty of threatening his former wife Sophie in text messages in December 2008, and was put on three-months probation.
Jos is fluent in German and English as well as Dutch.
He worked out at the gym on a daily basis while he was still racing, and still occasionally goes to the gym.
Jos is followed by nearly 200,000 people on Instagram, and has posted over 100 pictures and videos onto the social media network.
His favorite actors are Russell Crowe and Tom Hardy, and some of his favorite movies include “Fathers and Daughters”, “Gladiator” and “The Water Diviner”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Jos’ age is 50. He has blue eyes and short brown hair, is 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall and weighs about 160lbs (72kgs).
Jos’ net worth’s been estimated at over $8 million, as of January 2023.
